Starting Over
by Summer Skye
Summary: Amelia was a single mother of two barely getting by, until superheroes quite literally fall from the sky and change her life forever.
1. Chapter 1

It is difficult to describe how I met them. It had happened so quickly. One moment I was just an ordinary single mother living in a run down neighborhood trying to make ends meet. The next I found myself with new job with very generous benefits including full medical and dental and some of the best friends I could ever wish for. But I am getting ahead of myself. It would make sense for me to start with how I came to meet The Justice League.

It was December. I remember because the boiler was not operational and we had no hot water or heat. Because of this my twins Timmy and Heather would sneak into my bed at night to stay warm. My nightly ritual had fallen into making dinner for my children, boiling water for strip washes in the tub, and putting them to bed.

After the customary strip wash and dry down, I managed to wiggle my children into their jammies. Like all four-year-olds Timmy and Heather were not thrilled with the idea of bedtime.

"Mommy do we have to go to bed?" Heather whined as I braided her hair. Heather was the oldest of the twins. No matter where I took the twins, I got comments about how much Heather looked like me. She had long sunset red hair and bright green eyes like me, although my red hair was cut in a bob.

"Yes," I replied.

"Why?"

"Because if you don't the boogie man will come and get you."

"Na ah," Timmy said climbing on my back. Timmy had the curliest hair I had ever seen in my life. It had been dark like my father's had been. He had lighter blue green eyes. His cheeks and nose were spotted with freckles.

"He will too," I told my son. "The boogie man and I are like this." I showed them my crossed forefinger and middle finger.

"Are not," Heather taking hold of my hand.

"Are too."

"Are not," the twins chimed together.

"Are…" I was interrupted by a loud thud on the fire escape. My twins scrambled into my arms whimpering.

"What was that?" Timmy asked.

"It's the boogie man!" Heather shrieked.

"You two stay right here," I ordered shifting my children off my lap and onto the bed. I carefully and cautiously moved towards the window. Moving the curtains revealed a prone figure of a man on the balcony of the fire escape.

I quickly opened the window and checked for a pulse. A steady heartbeat was my answer. The man was dressed in a skintight red suit and yellow boots. He had a slender build and the tightness of his clothes accented his muscular physic.

A bright green light turned my attention upward. The light turned pink, then green again. Above me two figures darted through the air, blasting each other with their respectively colored beams of light. The figure with the green light let out a blast of light that knocked the pink figure down to the alley below.

The green figure floated down the fire escape and bent down next to the unconscious man. By then my children, disobeying me had joined me at the window. Timmy's eyes light up as the man landed.

"Wow. You're Green Lantern," he said.

The man nodded and smiled at Timmy. He was a tall, black man who also wore a skintight suit, but his was black and green. He sported a shaved head and beard with green eyes. He soon turned his attention to his friend.

"You just had to leap before you looked," he said. "How is he?"

"Alive," I said. "Beyond that I don't know. I suggest that we get him inside before he freezes."

"Flash freeze?" he questioned. "Never thought I would hear those two things in the same sentence, but you're right. Come on, give me a hand."

Between us, we managed to get Flash to my couch. I pulled off a throw off the back of a chair and wrapped it around him. Green Lantern, meanwhile, had gone to the window.

"Star Sapphire is still out there. I'm going to check the perimeter."

"Go. I can manage here."

As Green Lantern left to do his check, I collected some more blankets and tucked them around Flash. I was pleased to see that he was shivering. It was a sign that he was alive, but cold.

"Flash," I whispered. "Flash can you hear me? Come on. Wakey wakey."

He groaned and opened his eyes. "I'm…s…s…so cold," he said as his teeth chattered.

"I know. You'll warm up in a minute."

"Where's GL?"

"GL? Oh Green Lantern. He went to do a perimeter check. He should be back soon. Do you want something to drink? I can make some coffee if you like."

"Thanks," he said giving me a little smile.

As I was making up some coffee, I listened to my twins talk to Flash. I figured it was for the best. It would keep him conscious so that he would not go into shock from the cold.

"Are you really The Flash?" Heather asked.

"Yes I am."

"Why are you called The Flash?" Timmy asked.

"Because I am the fastest man alive."

"Are not."

"Are too."

"Are not."

"Are too."

"End of debate," I said coming back into the living room. "It's time for bed you two."

"I don't want to go to bed," Timmy protested.

"Too bad. You both have got appointments with Dr. Wells tomorrow young man and I want you to be well rested for it. Now say goodnight to Flash and go to bed."

"Goodnight Flash," they said glumly.

"G'night kids," Flash said waving and giving them a smile.

As Heather and Timmy shuffled off to bed, I went back into the kitchen and poured three cups of coffee. Loading them on to a tray with the sugar bowl and the creamer, I carried it out to the living room.

"This should warm you up," I commented handing Flash a mug.

"Thanks. Those your kids?"

"Yeah. They'll be five in March and they start school come fall."

"So where's dad in all of this?"

"God knows. Probably off on some sandy beach with a model doing photo shoots for his next picture."

"So you are divorced?" he asked as he started to load his coffee with large spoonfuls of sugar.

I nodded. "Four years. Hey are you going to have any coffee with that sugar?"

He smiled. "This is how I always take my coffee."

"But not always, I would think. I mean you probably took your coffee differently before you became a superhero."

"I did, but that was so long ago I can't remember. So what's your name?"

I blushed. "Sorry, just preoccupied. It's not everyday a live hero drops in. I'm Amelia Jones."

"Amelia? It suits you."

"Thanks, I like it too."

It was about that time Green Lantern returned. Flash tried to stand up but was unable to. Green Lantern put his hand on Flash's shoulder. "Take it easy kid. You took quite a beating."

Flash nodded as he took a sip of his sugary coffee. I handed Green Lantern a mug and passed the cream and sugar to him. He gratefully took them in silence.

"GL," Flash said. "I'd like you to meet Amelia Jones."

"John Stewart," Green Lantern said holding out his hand to me.

"Nice to meet you John. Sorry that it is so cold in here, but at least it's warmer in here than it is out there."

"I'll say," Flash said. "Why is it cold in here? That can't be good for your kids."

"The boiler is busted. I know that I can fix it, but the landlord says it's against policy for tenants to do any repairs. I've been waiting for him to fix it since the snow fell, but he hasn't. I'm about ready to screw the policy and fix the damn thing myself. It isn't safe for my kids or any others in the building to live in freezing apartments."

"Then why don't you fix it," Flash said. "I know if my kid was living in these conditions, I'd be raising all kinds of hell about it."

"Do you have a lazy son of a bitch for a landlord? He won't even get off his ass long enough to hold the door open for someone. Believe me, I've been looking for other apartments, but I simply can't afford to move into a better apartment."

"I hear that," Flash said. "The living costs in this city are outrageous. My utility bill alone is enough to make you drop dead."

"Add the cost of daycare and you more or less have the story of my life. Anyway, you guys can stay as long as you need to."

"Thanks," Green Lantern said. "We'll stay until Flash is warm enough to walk out of here."

"In that case," I said getting out of my chair, "would you keep an ear out for the kids? They will probably be awake again soon to crawl into my bed to get warm. I'll be back soon." I padded down the small hallway to my room.

"Wait, where are you going?" Green Lantern asked.

"To change my clothes and get my tools. I'm fixing myself a boiler."

* * *

Quietly making my way to the basement of my apartment building, armed with my tools and a flashlight. The door was locked, but the landlord was dumb enough to keep an emergency key on the upper frame. Most of the tenants were not tall enough to reach it and neither was I for that matter. But most of the tenants did not grow up in a circus and have a trapeze artist for a mother, I did. It was an easy matter of jumping up and using my legs as braces in the doorframe as I reached for the key.

"Now I've seen it all," a voice said behind me.

I jumped down with the key in my hand, and turning I found John Stewart behind me. "What are you doing here?" I asked dusting off my jeans.

"Thought I would give you a hand. Flash said he'd keep an eye on your kids."

"I can fix the boiler myself."

"I don't doubt that, but it's a big job. It'll go faster with two of us."

I smiled. "Then let's get started."

Unlocking the door, we crossed the threshold into basement. The stairs leading down were made of wood and the squeaked as we set our weight on them. Luckily the landlord was a heavy sleeper.

"Where did you learn how to do that?" Green Lantern asked.

"Do what?"

"Getting the key the way you did. I didn't think the mother of two children could do such things."

"They can. I grew up in a circus. Mom was a trapeze artist. Believe me she got her figure back very quickly after having me. I guess after I had the twins, I wanted to stay in shape just so I could keep up with them. Besides circus tricks come in handy sometimes."

The boiler was located in the back of the basement. From the outside things looked okay, but appearances can be deceiving. Locating a ladder I scaled it and had look at the connection to the pipes.

"Now wonder it's friggin' freezing in the building. The landlord let these valves rust shut. These things look like they came with the building when it was first built thirty years ago. I knew that the landlord was a cheapskate but this is not acceptable. They have to be replaced."

"Then let's get to work," Green Lantern said handing me a wrench.

"While I am loosening this up, see if you can't find a replacement valves. It should be shaped like a 'T'."

For the next hour or so, Green Lantern and I set about fixing the boiler. While he kept a look out, I made the necessary repairs. He became my gopher as he brought me tools and parts that I needed to get the job done.

"Thanks for your help," I said wiping some dirt off my face. Reaching up, I tested the pipe. It was warmer than before. "The heat's coming on. We should have hot water in the morning. I know Mr. Simmons in 4B will be happy. He's really grouchy when he doesn't have a shower in the morning."

"I know the feeling," Green Lantern said.

"Come on. The slum lord will notice that heat is back up in a few minutes."

"Hey the heat's back on," Flash said as we walked back into my apartment. Heather and Timmy were curled up next to him on the couch. Heather was on his lap with her head resting on his chest, her rag doll snuggled under her arm. Timmy was tucked under Flash's arm with his teddy bear and security blanket. "They come in here shivering," Flash replied. "I figured it would be okay."

"It is. Now that the heat's back on, they might sleep in their own beds. Thanks for watching them."

"No biggie."

I scooped Timmy into my arms. He twitched at being unsettled but resettled himself in my arms. He had done that since he was a baby. Flash rose from his place on the couch with Heather in his arms. Her arm dangled down and her doll dropped to the floor. Flash bent down and picked it up. He followed me to the kid's room.

There was a bunk bed pushed against a wall. The top bunk was Heather's while Timmy had the bottom bunk. Flash gently laid Heather on her bunk and tucked the blanket around her. He carefully slipped her rag doll under her arm before moving so that I could put Timmy to bed.

"They're sweet kids," Flash said.

"Yes they are, but they have their moments. All kids do."

"I couldn't imagine raising twins on my own."

"I couldn't either until it happened."

"My hat is off to you Amelia Jones. It takes a lot of courage to do what you do."

"And it's people like you that make people like me feel safe to do what we do."

Closing the door behind us, Flash and I walked back into the living room, where Green Lantern was waiting for us. "We better get going," he said. "They'll be wondering why we haven't reported in yet."

"I can't thank you enough for doing what you did," Flash said to me.

"You and Green Lantern made my kids' day by staying for awhile. If you guys ever need any mechanical help, you know where to find me."

"We might take you up on that offer," Green Lantern replied shaking my hand. "Thanks for the coffee."

"Anytime. Have a safe trip."

Watching them race away, I wondered if I would ever see them again. Probably not. Superheroes had no use for common folk like me unless they were looking for someone to press their tights and fold their capes. But what I did not realize at the time was how valuable people like me were to the superhero community.


	2. Chapter 2

"Mommy, do you think Flash will come and visit us again?" Timmy asked as we walked home from the store.

"I don't know. Flash is probably very busy. He has a job that keeps him on his toes."

It had been two weeks since Flash and Green Lantern had quite literally dropped into our lives. My kids' heads were still spinning from the experience. When Timmy's friends did not believe him when he first told them, but after their parents came to me to complain about Timmy's outlandish stories and I explained what happened, Timmy became quite a celebrity.

"I hope he visits again," Heather said. "He was nice."

"Thanks," a voice said behind us.

Spinning around, I saw Flash had come up behind us. He was still in the red spandex and had the same cheeky smile. The twins' eyes light up like saucers at the sight of the scarlet speedster.

"Flash! We knew you'd come back and visit," the twins cried in unison.

"Well I had to see how things turned out for you guys," he replied ruffling Timmy's hair. "Here let me help with those Amelia." He took one of the grocery bags from me and held the door of my building open for the kids and me.

"Thanks. So how are things?"

"Oh you know, saving the world, fighting super villains, and rescuing kittens from trees."

"All in a day's work. What brings you by aside from helping me carry in my groceries in?"

"Well…I can't really explain out here. It's something you've gotten sit down for."

I felt my face contort with confusion. "Okay."

* * *

In the hallway outside my apartment stood Green Lantern with four others. Two of them I recognized from news reports: Superman in his blue PJ's and big red S and Wonder Woman in her gold tiara. Another had a huge bat on his chest and I assumed it was Batman. The fourth I had never seen in my life. He was big, green and probably a fighting machine. He had red eyes and no hair.

"What's going on?" I asked. "Why are they standing outside of my apartment?"

"We will explain inside," the green man said.

"Uh ah, before I even consider letting you into my apartment I want some names. I know you at least two of you are. Superman, Wonder Woman," I said indicating each respectively. "And I am pretty sure you are Batman, but it's been a while since I was last in Gotham. But you, tall, dark and green, I don't know who you are, so I am not letting you in until I have some introductions."

"Perfectly reasonable," The green man replied. "I am J'onn J'onzz."

"And you guessed rightly at who we are," Superman said. "Now can we come in?"

I dumped my grocery bag in his arms while I dug for my keys. Unlocking the door, I ushered my children in first followed by the superheroes and myself. Flash instinctively put one of my grocery bags in my kitchen, as did Superman. Timmy and Heather were just in awe at the superheroes if not a little frightened by Batman. Quite frankly he creeped me out too. This J'onn J'onzz character looked like someone who I might have known in my circus days. Green skin, red eyes, blue bike shorts; yep definitely like someone from the circus. It wasn't some much I was afraid of him as much as I was curious about him.

"Kids," I said snapping them out of their euphoria. "Why don't you go watch TV in Mommy's room, while I talk with our guests?"

"But we want to…" Timmy started to protest until I shot him my this-is-not-open-for-debate look. Pulling his sister with him, the twins walked into my room and closed the door.

"So what can I do for you wonderful civil servants?" I asked padding into my kitchen. Opening one of the grocery bags I began to put away my shopping.

"First of all," Superman said coming forward. "We wanted to thank you for helping Flash and Green Lantern."

"No big deal, they'd do the same for me, it only makes sense to help them. But why are you really here? It wasn't just to thank me."

"Green Lantern said that you have a certain knowledge of maintenance."

"He watched me fix a boiler. So what?"

"We are in need of someone to head up the maintenance personal at the Watchtower," Superman explained. "The last head of maintenance quit last week."

"Why?"

"Something about conflicting personalities," Superman replied shooting a look over at Batman. "And we were wondering if you would be interested in the job."

I just about dropped the package of Oreo cookies I was holding in my hand. Were they offering me a job? "I'm sorry, but I must have misheard you. Did you just offer me a job?"

"Yes I did," Superman confirmed.

"But you barely know me. For all you know I could be on one of your enemies payroll to be nice to you and exploits your weaknesses," I pointed out abandoning my shopping bags in the kitchen.

"True, but that's why we'll be having J'onn read your mind to confirm that you are telling the truth when you answer our questions, with your permission of course."

The green guy reading my mind? He had to be kidding. Was this standard procedure? Oh, what the hell? What was the worse that could happen? "Sure, I guess. But can I sit down first?"

"Of course," J'onn said reaching his hand out to me. Guiding me to a chair, J'onn stood behind me with his hands on my shoulders.

"What is your full name?" Superman asked.

"Amelia Marie Jones."

"Your parents names?"

"Dawn and Hugh Jones."

"What did they do?"

"Mom was a trapeze artist and Dad was an illusionist. I grew up in a traveling circus."

"What kind of educational background do you have?" Wonder Woman inquired.

"Hard to say. I was home schooled. Aside from what I could have learned at school, I have a number of skills that I picked up in the circus."

"Like what?" the crowned brunette asked leaning forward slightly.

Could she be any more promiscuous? If she were not a superhero, I would be questioning her values. I mean you wonder when a woman struts around in a red and blue strapless bathing suit with high-heeled red boots and a gold tiara. What gave her the right to flaunt herself that way? Mind you I used to dress similarly, but that was when I was in the circus and an illusionist's assistant. But off stage, I was in jeans and a modest t-shirt. I did not wear my costume 24/7. I resettled myself in my chair before answering.

"Oh well slight of hand, knife throwing, gymnastics, juggling, riding, palm reading, ventriloquism…"

"That's what we need," Flash said with a sarcastic note. "A ventriloquist."

"I also happen to be an accomplished escape artist," I retorted.

"J'onn?" Batman questioned. His eyes had narrowed. He did not seem like the type who likes to be bested by anyone, let alone a single mother.

"She speaks the truth. Her skill diversity could rival yours Batman."

"Go on," Batman said sharply to Superman. I obviously hit a nerve with him.

"What else did you learn in the circus?" Superman continued.

"Well animal care, auto repair, cooking, cleaning, first aid, mechanical maintenance among other things. We all pulled our weight in the circus. In one city, I would be looking after the horses; in the next I might be fixing motorcycles. In those days I was willing to learn from anyone who would be willing to teach me."

"What about now?" The man of steel asked.

"I suppose I still do, but I've become a teacher for my kids."

"Flash said that you were divorced. What were the grounds?"

"I would prefer not to talk about it."

"Why not?"

Listen Boy Scout; I do not want to talk about it. It has no relevance to this job. I have not seen my ex husband in four years. If you continue to harp on this subject, you will be out of here so fast your head will spin. That was what I wanted to say but that would hardly be acceptable.

"It's a touchy subject," I replied instead. "Next question."

"What kind of hobbies do you have?"

"Now or then? Since I had kids, a lot of my hobbies have been put on hold."

"The current ones for now."

"Well I like watching old movies, playing chess, music, and inventing things."

"What sorts of things?"

"Anything from making up games for my kids or cleaner way to run my appliances," I answered nonchalantly.

"Now about your kids," Batman uttered. The sound of his voice gave me the impression he was still annoyed with my talents, but would get over them soon enough. "You have a son and daughter?"

"That's right. Heather and Timothy. They'll start school next fall."

"Where are your parents? Still in the circus?"

"No," I answered solemnly shifting in my seat. They were really touching on some sensitive topics with me. "They were killed in a tent fire when I was eighteen. The only family I had was a cousin in Blüdhaven but he couldn't take care of me, so I was on my own."

"Why couldn't he take care of you?" Batman asked

"Dick was in the same boat as me. Our mothers were twins and acrobats. My aunt and uncle were also killed. Dick went to live with some family in Gotham, but moved to Blüdhaven. I wasn't able to contact him until I moved to Blüdhaven after my divorce."

"What is Dick's full name?" Batman pressed urgently.

What was his interest? "Richard John Grayson. Why?" I answered scratching the back of my ear.

"No reason."

No reason my ass. Why was Batman so interested in my cousin? Something was being hidden from me. I had a feeling that the next time that I saw Cousin Dick, we were going to have a little chat that involved Batman.

"Anything else?" I asked changing the subject.

"I can't think of anything aside from terms of employment," Superman said.

"Which would be…?"

"You would be mostly maintaining the Watchtower along with J'onn and Batman. That would include the vehicles. Since you have an inventing talent, we might ask you to design and build equipment that would be useful on our missions."

"Days of work. I would like to be around for my kids as much as possible."

"How does five days a week, nine to five sound to you?"

"Perfect. Benefits?"

"Full medical, dental, optical, and retirement."

"Now for the big question. Pay?"

"Starting pay is 100,000 a year or 8,500 a month.

Cha-Ching went the cash register in my mind. That was a hell of a lot more than I was making as a typist. I could get a better apartment in a better neighborhood with good schools for my kids.

"Well Superman, I think we have come to terms." I stuck out my hand and he shook it.

A knock at my door announced a visitor. I went to the door to answer it and immediately regretted doing it. My visitor was my slumlord Mr. Jenkins. He was an overweight, balding, middle-aged man. In the movies, when there was a money grubbing landlord in a wife beater undershirt, Mr. Jenkins got royalties from it. From the moment I moved in, I hated him and he hated me. He was just waiting for an excuse to evict me and from the look on his face; it looked like he might have found one.

Mr. Jenkins himself was a man in his mid-fifties with beady black eyes. His black hair was badly combed over a large bald spot on the top of his head. His gut was hanging over his pants and he was wearing a ratty old flannel shirt. He was quite a bit taller than me, but then again everyone was taller than me.

"Miss Jones," he said in his oily voice. "Is your heat working?"

"Perfectly," I said with a smile.

His mouth twitched in annoyance. "Good," he forced himself to say. "I thought I would ask since I was dropping off this." He handed me a pink slip of paper as he left. "Have a good day."

I knew what I was before I even read it. It was an eviction notice. I had two weeks to find a new apartment and move out. Even with this new job, I did not have enough money to make a deposit for an apartment.

"Hey," I said closing the door turning back to the Justice League. "It's a good thing I took the job when I did."

"Why is that?" Flash asked.

"Because I have just been evicted for my little do-it-yourself stunt the other night," I answered showing him the eviction notice.

"This isn't fair," Flash objected. "You were doing the right thing for your family."

"That may be," I answered folding my arms across my chest. "But I went against the rental agreement I signed when I moved in. He legally has every right to kick me out."

"She's right," Superman interjected taking the pink slip from Flash. "Since her actions went against the contract, she must face the consequences."

"Which I cheerfully do," I said. "But here's the sixty five million dollar question. Where do I go? I've got no money and two kids. You guys wouldn't by chance know of a place that I could stay until I find a new place to live. A YMCA? A hostel maybe?"

"What about the Watchtower?" J'onn suggested. "It would be nice to have some company up there."

"Why not?" Green Lantern said. "She's going to be working up there anyway. Might as well let her and the kids stay there temporarily."

"Is that agreeable Miss Jones?" Superman asked.

"I don't see that I have a choice and the name's Amelia."

"Welcome aboard," Flash said.

"Thanks." _I think_.


	3. Chapter 3

_IMPORTANT NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Many of you have been asking questions about this story. Therefore I am please to announce the Frequently Asked Questions section of my bio page. I will answer any and all questions at this section. Thank you and keep reviewing and asking questions._

* * *

Could life get any better? I was finally employed in a job with benefits and that I could really sink my teeth into. My children had opportunities to meet some of their heroes on a daily basis. Since my children were not allowed to come into my shop because of the dangerous equipment in there, I was finally able to work on my inventions without endangering them. To top it all off, I had a place to stay that did not feel like I was living in a freezer, albeit temporary, but it was better than nothing. Life was finally taking a turn for the better.

My job as I soon learned was more than just maintaining the Watchtower for the Justice League, but all of their equipment too. Never in all of my life had I seen such abuse to machines, but then again Earth's greatest heroes used these machines. Then again that was no excuse to treat your tools the way. The tool that was in the worst shape was their jets _The Javelin_s.

_The Javelins_ were some sexy jets complete with all the bells and whistles that could be found on a jet including space travel capabilities and stealth cloaking. All I can say is that I know what I want for Christmas this year. I found it interesting that of all the colors in the world they chose to paint the jet white. If I were picking the color, black would have been the route I would have gone. Black was the color of secrecy and mystery both attributes the League valued since they kept so much about themselves a secret. But then again Batman's jet was black and he probably did not want the League infringing on his own color scheme.

Speaking of the Dark Knight, he had an eerie habit of watching me when he thought I was not looking. A girl could get the idea that he was a creepy stalker. But I did not get that kind of vibe from him. I think it was more of he was determining where I stood in the grand scheme of things and more specifically to him and the rest of the League.

On the whole I got along pretty well with the League, but the only time that they came to me was when they wanted something fixed, that is all except two. Flash often came by just to chat and play with my kids. Heather and Timmy were always eager to have someone willing to play with them while I worked, plus it kept them out of trouble. The second member of the League I had the most contact with was J'onn. Within the first few weeks of my time at the Watchtower, J'onn was my constant adult companion. But for all of his Obi-Wan Kenobi-ness, he acted like a child sometimes, especially when it came to Oreo cookies.

The Oreo cookie wars began when I was in the Mess Hall having lunch with my kids. Heather and Timmy had opted for the traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the crust cut off, apple juice, Oreo cookies and orange slices, which was my doing and fortunately the kids liked oranges. I on the other hand had selected a roast beef sandwich.

"Mommy, can we watch _The Little Mermaid_ tonight?" Heather asked.

"That's a girly movie," Timmy protested. "I wanna watch _Pete's Dragon_."

"_Little Mermaid_."

"_Pete's Dragon_."

"_Little Mermaid_."

"_Pete's Dragon_."

"All right," I said ending the debate. "If you two can't agree on one, there will be no movie tonight."

The twins whispered to each other briefly and nodded to each other. "_Lion King_," they said together.

"_Lion King_ it is," I confirmed.

"May I join you?"

I looked up to find J'onn standing by our table with a food tray in his hands. On it was a salad and a plate of Oreos.

"Of course J'onn," I said scooting my chair over a little.

J'onn sat down between Timmy and me. Instead of picking up his fork to dive into his salad he started eating his cookies. Timmy looked at him disapprovingly.

"You should eat your salad before you eat you cookies," he said picking up an orange slice.

"Timothy Richard," I said in my 'behave' tone of voice.

"But he's right Mommy. You always say that we should eat our meal before we have our dessert," Heather said.

"Yes but J'onn is an adult and he can make his own choices."

"No Amelia," J'onn said quietly. "They are right. I would not be setting a good example for them."

He put down the cookie in his hand and picked up his fork. As he ate his salad, the twin, who had finished their lunch, began eating their Oreo cookies. I watched J'onn's face twitch slightly as he munched his salad. I had heard from Flash that our Martian friend was practically addicted to Oreo cookies. I was the same way about Bob & Terry's ice cream, especially during a special time of the month.

"J'onn what's your favorite flavor of Oreos?" Heather asked.

"I am fond of the classic Oreo," he replied his usual monotone.

"What's the matter J'onn?" I teased. "Afraid to live on the edge?"

"No. I just prefer the original. Is that so wrong?"

"Not at all. J'onn I was only teasing you. It's what I do with people I like. Flash and I tease each other all the time."

"And she teases us," Heather said.

"Mommy, can we go and watch our movie now?" Timmy asked.

"I suppose so."

J'onn and I watched the twins dash out of the mess hall. As we returned to our lunches, J'onn's eyes narrowed. When I followed his line of sight, I found that his plate of Oreos was empty. I sighed and put down my sandwich.

"Well they're grounded," I said leaning back in my chair.

"How did they do that? I did not even sense their motives."

"Slight of hand. Heather kept you distracted while Timmy nabbed the cookies. I told them that they shouldn't do those kind of things, but do you think that they listen to me?"

"You've been teaching them these slight of hand tricks?"

"Yeah. It was originally designed to be a distraction for them when they were babies to calm them down when they were colicky. But by the time they were three, they begging me to teach them. I didn't see any harm in it at the time. Besides if you're going to learn slight of hand, you should learn it from a master."

"Just promise me you will not teach Flash. He would love to know those kind of tricks to steal my Oreos."

"I promise, but I can't guarantee that the twins won't teach him." I pushed my plate away from me and rested my elbows on the table. "J'onn, may I ask you something?"

"Certainly."

"While I have been here, I have been trying to get to know the people I'm around, you know build a trust with them. They tell me only bits and pieces about themselves, for safety reasons. But I know next to nothing about you except that you are the last of your race and you have an Oreo addiction. I'd like to know more about you, if you are willing to share."

J'onn put down his fork and pushed his tray away. "Not here," he said. He rose from the table and indicated I follow him. I got to my feet and followed him.

* * *

J'onn led me to the projection room where he brought up the image of a red planet: Mars. He stood silently staring at the picture on the view screen. He missed his home and the people who had been in his life before he had come to Earth. I often caught him in this room just staring at the projection of Mars.

"You know the story of how I came here?" he asked.

I nodded. "You came here to warn Earth about an invasion from the aliens that destroyed your planet. The government got scared and imprisoned you. Superman and Batman rescued you. With the yet to be formed Justice League, you helped save the planet from the Invaders."

"Did you hear about my life before I came here?"

"Only that you are the last of your kind."

J'onn sat on a nearby stool and indicated for me to join him. I found another stool and set it next to his. He was silent for a moment, contemplating where to begin. Either that he was debating with himself whether or not he really wanted to share his personal history with me. I decided to break the ice first.

"You know, when I when I was twenty I thought I was in love. His name was Michael Waters. He was tall, blond haired, blue eyed, and handsome. I met him when I was a waitress at this diner in Metropolis he always came to. He was a struggling actor when he first asked me out. We were still just getting by when he asked me to marry him. Three months after we married, he landed a major role in a movie. He moved me out to Hollywood with him and told that I could be a lady of leisure from now on."

"What happened to spoil this idyllic fantasy of yours?" J'onn asked.

"I got pregnant. Mike was never keen about having children and insisted I go on the pill. But it made me really sick and my doctor was going to switch my prescription. While we were waiting for my body to rid itself of the first prescription, Mike came home earlier and wanted to get cozy if you know what I mean. Anyway, when I went back into the doctor for a quick check up before I went on the new birth control, she did a pregnancy test and it came back positive. When I told my husband he flipped and demanded that I get an abortion. When I wouldn't do it, he started getting physically abusive toward me. I soon became his punching bag and his ash tray." I moved my shirt a little to show him the burn scar on my shoulder. "I've got more but I think you get the idea."

"How did you manage to escape?"

"Mike had to go away on location. Before he left he threatened to kill me if I left. On about the second day, I decided that for the good of my unborn child, I had to get out of there. So I called I went online and did a search for my cousin Dick. I found his number and called him. Within a couple of days of my call, he came to the house helped me pack my bags, and took me to live with him in Blüdhaven while I filed for divorce. I stayed with Dick until I had my children. It was about then my divorce came through. Dick helped me find an apartment and a job in Blüdhaven, until…"

"Your ex-husband found you."

"Yeah. With Dick's help I moved out of Blüdhaven and to Central City with my twins. He hasn't bothered me or found me, at least I hope not."

J'onn gave me a rare smile. "I appreciate you telling me this Amelia. It means a lot that you opened up to me the way you did. It seems to me that I should return the gesture." I clasped my hands together and leaned forward giving him my undivided attention. "As you know, I was born on Mars. My childhood was a happy one. I had good parents; good friends and I had a very good education. I eventually married. My'ri'ah was a wonderful wife and mother. We had a daughter K'hym and a son T'omm. We were expecting another son a few weeks before…" His voice trailed as he searched for the right words.

"The Invaders came?" I prompted.

"Yes. I watched the Invaders kill my wife, and children. Over the years I have been very lonely, even today I sometimes am quite lonely."

"I feel that way too sometimes. I mean it's not easy being a single parent. I think that a vast majority of the League at the end of the day go home, order a pizza, and veg in front of the TV, but since I do not know anything about their alter egos, I have no idea if it is true."

"Almost all of the League is single," J'onn replied. "Our particular line of occupation makes us targets for villains and having personal relationships would given said villains an opportunity to wield control over us."

"Perfectly understandable. But my point is that you, me, and maybe a few others belong to a very special League. We are a league of parents. That's something that most of the League can't claim. You and I both struggle on a daily basis to try and fill voids that for one reason or another life as thrown at us. For me, it has been both mom and dad for my kids and being a parent without my own parents to fall back on for advice or help. I've been making it up as I go and I guess that I still am. For you, it's the void that your wife and children have left in your life." I took his hand into mine. "J'onn, I know that nothing I do or say will take away the pain you feel. You miss them and you always will, but if you are willing I'd like to make you a part of my family, a brother, a cousin, or whatever."

He looked at me intently. "Why would you do something like this for me?"

"Because I don't like being alone and I don't like seeing other people alone. Besides we Joneses have got to stick together, right?"

"Right. Thank you Amelia."

"I've gotta go. The kids will be wondering where I am," I said getting up. As I walked towards the door, I noticed that J'onn had not moved. "You can come if you like?"

J'onn looked at the image of Mars for another moment or so, before shutting off the projection unit. He came up to me and gave me a nod.

* * *

I think that J'onn thoroughly enjoyed to _Lion King_. It was the kind of movie that spoke to kids as well as adults. As I switched off the DVD player, I noticed that the twins had fallen asleep. It was time for their nap anyway. I picked each of them up and balanced them on a hip. J'onn immediately got up and took Timmy from me. He helped me lay them down for their nap.

"You know what? I could go for a nap myself."

"Then I will leave you to rest. Amelia, I want to thank you for sharing this time with me. I must say that this movie Lion King reminded me a great deal of Shakespeare's _Hamlet_."

"When did you read _Hamlet_?"

"It gets very lonely up here. Since I am up here almost all the time, I tired to familiarize myself with Earth culture. I have read all of Shakespeare's works."

"Well you are the first person I have ever met who has. I take it that you are fond of the tragedies?"

"Somewhat. _Hamlet_ and _Othello_ have a certain appeal."

"I suppose they do. I prefer the comedies myself."

"Any favorites?"

"I rather like _Much Ado About Nothing_ and _Twelfth Night_."

J'onn nodded. "I can see why. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them. Quite like your life has been."

"You know I never thought of it that way," I said suppressing a yawn.

"Go and rest Amelia," J'onn said. "You could probably use the sleep."

"Right. See you around."

He gave me another nod before departing. I watched him go. It seemed to me that his walk became lighter that day as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Since coming to work for the Justice League and meeting its members, I felt that my family was growing larger as time went on. But today was a special day for me; today I had gained a brother.


	4. Chapter 4

"Good morning sunshine," a perky voice said. I had just walked into my dark workshop with my mocha latte clutched in my hands. I was not a morning person, but a certain speedster in red spandex was.

"Somebody has had coffee this morning," I grumbled as I was put my pack on my desk. I reached over to the power strip and turned it on. "Flash why are you sitting in the dark?"

As the lights came on, I found out why he was alone in the dark. Wearing his normal spandex suit, Flash was wearing a red ski mask over his face instead of his traditional red mask with the yellow lightning bolts. I blinked thinking that the lights were playing tricks on me. But they were not.

"Before you start…" he said, but I was not going to let him have a word in edgewise.

"What happened?"

"I got mobbed by a bunch of football cheerleaders who ripped my mask off."

I was not amused. My eyes narrowed and I cocked my eyebrow up. My lips tightened as I shifted my weight onto on hip. "Flash."

"Okay. I washed my costume last night," I opened my mouth to ask if he cleaned it the proper way, but he held up his hand, "and yes, I did hand wash it. I sat in front of the TV watching a zombie movie with my hands in soapy water washing it. I hung it out to dry over night and when I woke up this morning, my mask was still pretty damp. So I put it in the microwave for thirty seconds to dry it out and…"

"Let me guess. The microwave exploded along with your mask."

"In a word, yes. Can you help me out Amelia? I need to pull one of the spares."

The Justice League had a ready supply of costumes up in the Watchtower in case they needed new ones; even Batman had a few batsuits hanging about. I had access to the supply room they were kept in. One of the things I did was to try and create costumes that withstood all the wear and tear that the League threw at them.

"Does the boy scout know?" I asked.

"No. I got here early so that I wouldn't see Superman before he sees me."

"Smart move," I said putting my coffee down. "Let me see what kind of magic I can conjure up."

Sitting in my spinny, rolly chair, I turned on the computer that was at my disposal. It was an old piece of technological crap. In a state of the art facility like the Watchtower, why was this Stone Age doorstop even given permission to be in it? But as technology evolved, I suppose somebody had to inherit the old technology and that somebody just happened to be me.

While we were waiting for my computer to boot up, Flash had discovered my collection of CD's next to my stereo. "You think I'm irresponsible, don't you?" he asked.

"Putting a flammable fabric with titanium filaments in the microwave to dry? Well it doesn't exactly do you any credit when it comes to responsible measures. It must be a guy thing. I pity your girlfriend."

"I don't have one. No time."

"The fastest man alive has no time? How does that work out?"

"Well let's start for the fact the I work two jobs. This one and being a full time dad."

"You're a dad?"

"Sure am."

"And you're making microwaves explode? Was your kid there when you did that?" I asked in alarm.

"Relax. He was asleep. He's finally sleeping through the night."

"You have a son. How old?"

"Charlie's almost nine months old."

"And his mother?"

Flash got silent. Something I said maybe? "My wife Linda died a month after Charlie was born."

I got out of my chair and went over to the superhero. Placing my hand on his shoulder, I gave it a squeeze. "I'm sorry. I had no idea."

"It's okay."

"It must have been difficult to raise him on your own."

"You raised twins on your own."

"Yeah, but I'm not a crime fighting superhero on the side. For you when you go on a mission, you probably wonder if you'll come back to Charlie in one piece."

"Sometimes I do. Hey your computer's awake."

So it was. Sitting back in my chair, I opened the security program for costume supply room. Typing in my password, I took the keycard and got up again. "Come on," I said to Flash. "Let's get you a mask before the others show up."

* * *

It would be just our luck that the supply room we wanted was at the other end of the Watchtower. As we walked, I felt like a spy behind enemy lines. At any moment, we could meet up with another member of the League and get the third degree.

"Amelia," Flash said. "Can I ask you something?"

"I don't know. Can you?"

"Should have seen that coming. _May_ I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Charlie has starting teething and nothing I do has been helping. Did you figure out something when the twins were teething?"

"Well the twins teethed differently. Heather was very fussy and Timmy was pretty mellow. But for both of them I froze their rubber feeding spoons or pacifiers in the freezer and letting them suck on those. It seemed reduce the inflammation."

"I'll try that. I might be coming to you a lot for advice. Those baby care manuals can only go so far."

"I'll help whenever I can. I'll watch him for you in the evening if you like."

Flash smiled. "Thanks, but I've got a babysitter on call all day and all night."

"Well the offer will always stand. I know how hard it is to find a babysitter."

"Maybe we should set up a play date for our kids?"

"I don't know. I don't think that Heather or Timmy will want to play with a nine month old. They are four years old."

"I didn't think of that. So how's the apartment search going?"

"Not so good. I don't know if I should go back to Central City or to go somewhere else. What do you think?"

Flash's eye, which I noticed were green, creased in thought. "Bat's got Gotham, Superman is in Metropolis, GL and Wonder Woman are in New York. Central City is my home city. I've been to all of the cities that the League lives in and I think that Central City, despite the cost of living, is one of the better. But then I'm biased."

"No I agree with you. I was born in Central City when the circus my parents were in passed through there. I think that I'll go back to Central City."

"I'll keep my eye out for apartments for you. Any requirements you're looking for?"

"At least two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and in a building without a slumlord. It should be near good schools for my kids and maybe close to a park or a playground."

"You certainly know what you want."

"I just want the best for my kids. My wants are secondary."

"A lot changes when you become a parent. When Linda gave birth to Charlie it was the happiest day of my life. I felt like I was proudest dad on Earth. When Linda died, things changed so fast. One minute I had a partner to help me care for Charlie, but the next I was all alone with a month old baby and not a clue. What about you?"

"Well I had my cousin Dick to help me. But for the most part I tried to do it all myself, cause I knew that I would have to do it without Dick's help. But I will forever be grateful to Dick for getting me through the pregnancy, labor, and the first few months. I'm sure Linda was grateful to you for all the help you gave her when she was pregnant."

"I remember she had a craving for egg rolls. She'd make me get up a two in the morning to go down to this twenty-four hour Chinese restaurant near our apartment to go and get her egg rolls."

"For me it was pistachio ice cream."

Flash crinkled his eyes with disgust. "Pistachio ice cream?"

"Don't ask me why. I was pregnant and I got cravings."

Flash was about to say something, but the sound of footsteps silenced him. He ducked into a dark corner while I stayed in the light to see who it was. We were so close, please do not let it me Superman. My breath got caught in my throat as the large figure of Superman rounded the corner. Damn.

"Good morning Amelia," he said cheerfully. He obviously had coffee this morning too. "You're up early."

"I wanted to get started early," I said casually. "I was worried about a possible short in one of the computer terminals on The Deck." This was partly true. I was worried about a short in The Deck, but it was not a serious worry. The worst was probably a fried wire that needed to be replaced.

Superman apparently did not sense that I was lying. My lie had just enough truth in it to be believable. He smiled and nodded his head. "I've noticed that the Watchtower has been running more efficiently since you came along. Keep up the good work."

I gave him a salute and Superman carried on. I waited until he was out of sight before beckoning to Flash. He came out of the shadows and gave me a wink.

"That was close," he said. "I can't believe that he believed you."

"If you're going to tell a lie, add a little truth to it. It makes it believable. Here we are," I said as we rounded the corner. "Let's get you a new mask and get out of here."

I swiped the passkey and the door opened. Flash ran in, put on a new mask, and quickly back out. The whole process to a matter of a second. Locking the door we turned to leave, but we were caught by a voice.

"You are so busted," it said.

Turning around, we found Shayera Hol, formerly Hawkgirl, leaning against the wall. She was in a perfect view to witness our little stunt. Up till now I had only seen Shayera from a distance. From the scuttlebutt I had heard around, I learned about Shayera's betrayal of the Justice League during the Thanagarian occupation a while back. Wonder Woman had warned me to avoid her, but I was not inclined to make judgments based solely on the word of others, not matter who they were.

Shayera Hol was a few inches taller than me with red hair and green eyes. Her wings were folded behind her and her arms were folded across her chest. Nothing about her gave me the vibe that she was as bad as I was told. Besides she was a fellow red head, she could not be so terrible.

"Shayera, how long have you been standing there?" Flash asked nervously.

"Long enough to see you get yourself out of a jam by the skin of your nose."

"I had a little help," Flash said nudging me.

"Oh no you don't," I said. "I have complete deniability. All I have to do is say you threatened me to do it."

"Who would believe you?" he asked.

"Let's see. The fastest man alive versus a poor powerless single mother. I think I could make the case."

"Me too," Shayera said. "Face it Flash, you couldn't run circles around the jury."

Flash threw his hands up in defeat, just as his pager went off. "Gotta go ladies," he said before dashing off.

"Men," Shayera and I said at the same time.

"We haven't been introduced," Shayera said with a smile. "Shayera Hol."

"Amelia Jones."

"Oh so you're the fantastic Amelia Jones. I've heard a lot about you."

"None of it true, I'll bet."

"Ace mechanic, inventor, gymnast, escape artist, illusionist, mother of two. You give Batman a run for his money went it comes to skill diversity."

"I try. I'm finally glad to meet you Shayera Hol. I've heard about you as well."

Her face grew grim. "Do you think I'm a traitor too?"

"No," I said flatly. "I think that you were a person caught between a rock and hard place. We all make mistakes. I know that I've made quite a few in my life. The point of mistakes is that we learn from them. Did you learn from it?"

"Yes."

"Then you've atoned for your mistakes in my book."

"Really?"

"Really, really. Come on. I don't want to hang around the scene of a crime."

Shayera giggled. "Right. Where to?"

"To the Batcave Shayera."

Shayera burst out laughing as we walked away from the storeroom and head back to my workshop.

* * *

"Like the oldies much?" Shayera asked looking through my CD collection as I made her a cup of coffee.

"The oldies are the goodies," I said walking back to my desk with a mug in each hand. "I like country, rock, and show tunes too. But when you're fixing up _Javelin_, you've gotta listen to the oldies. It's like a rule. When fixing up large vehicles one must listen to The Beach Boys or The Eagles."

Shayera smiled. "You've got a great attitude about life."

"It's kept me alive. Life handed me so many lemons over the years and after having puckered lips for a while, I finally sat down and started making lemonade out of them."

"I wish I could make lemonade out of some of my lemons," Shayera said taking a grim sip of coffee.

"Wanna talk about it?" I asked.

"No."

"Well when you're ready, I've got two perfectly good ears and no waiting."

"Thanks. It'll be nice to have someone else to talk to besides Dr. Fate and Inza. They've been really kind to me, but they have no idea what kind of decisions I had to make."

"You are preaching to the choir here. I had to make a choice once."

"What was that?"

"I had to choose between my husband and my children."

"And you chose your children."

"That's right. Men come and go, but your children are yours forever. So in a way I had to make a similar choice that you made. Your people or people that became family."

"Did I make the right choice?"

"Only you can know that Shayera Hol, but if you hadn't made the choices you did, we would be sitting here talking about them over a cup of coffee. My advice to you is to get out there and start making lemonade."

Shayera nodded and put down her mug of coffee. "You're right. I shouldn't live in the past. Thank Amelia." Shayera spread her wings and flew out of my workshop.

Watching her fly away, a thought occurred to me. I could have made a fortune in the self help racket. "Oh well," I said aloud putting in some classic rock and getting to work.


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks to Flash, I soon had an apartment that was situated near a good school for my kids to enroll in the fall and had an excellent supply of babysitters nearby. It turned out that the building the apartment was in was home to a number of single, young, or single and young parents. Any one of the above was interested in watching the twins for a few extra bucks. Most of the parents were a little younger than me and had dropped out of school in order to be full time parents. They were living off of public assistance and just barely making minimum wage. Other parents were trying to go to school, hold a job and raise kids.

"Granny" Goodayle was the nickname the tenants had given to the landlady Gloria Goodayle. She was just like a grandmother to all of her tenants doing everything from watching kids to making a proper dinner for struggling tenants. She understood that not all of her tenants could not make the rent payments on time and had a policy of paying when you can if you. If you did not have a job, Granny either found you a job or she had you work for her to offset the rent. Granny was also never at a loss for good practical British advice.

Granny herself was looked like the stereotypical silver haired woman in her sixties. Her warm welcoming brown eyes made you want to trust her. But after spending five minutes with her, you knew that she was not a typical grandma. She was a retired social worker who never stopped doing the job she loved. Her husband Garrett Goodayle had bought the building when he and Granny came to the US after the Nazi Blitz in London. Garrett went back to England to join the British army. He was killed in action leaving Granny alone with the building. Granny could have easily sold it, but she took in tenants and used the rent money to go to school, where she became a social worker.

Within a week of my interview with Granny and signing the tenant contract, I moved in. Flash offered to help, but I refused it. He had done so much for me in finding me the apartment that I could not ask him to help me move in. Flash, of course, ignored my refusal and helped anyway. With Flash's help, my things were unpacked in, well, a flash. Now it was a matter of figuring out how I was going to get back and forth from my apartment to the transport site that had been designated for me.

Motorcycles were one of my few passions that remained with me even after I had my kids. Since I was a kid, I dreamed of owning one, but something always put it on hold. I had been so close to buying one, but then I found out I was going to be a mom and my priorities changed. Over the years, I have been saving up for two things: a college education for my kids and a motorcycle for me. I figured that by the time I was a grandmother I could get my ride. Oh well, if I was going to be leather-wearing, hog riding grandma, so be it. Now that I had a very good paying job, maybe my dream would become a reality sooner than I thought.

"Morning, Granny," I said when she opened the door of her ground floor apartment.

"Good morning Amelia," Granny said with a bright smile. She was in her housecoat and curlers still. "Where are those little tots of yours?"

"Here Granny!" the twins said together.

"Well come in and get all settled. Amelia would you have any objections in me taking the twins to the zoo today?"

"Not at all. It'll be good for them to get some air."

"Well you have a good day at work Amelia."

"I will. Thanks so much for watching them Granny. Make sure that they don't eat too much sugar. They have an appointment with the dentist tomorrow."

"Oh don't you worry about a thing Amelia. Everything is under control."

I smiled and took her word for it. Granny had raised her fair share of children over the years and knew more tricks than I did about how to do it. Giving my twins a kiss on the cheek, I turned to leave them in Granny's care.

"Mommy," Heather said. "Will you give these to Flash and Uncle J'onn when you see them?" She handed me two sheets of paper with drawings of Flash and J'onn on them. One was of Flash running to save a kitten from a tree and the other was of J'onn looking out the window of the Watchtower at the Earth below.

"I will. Today why don't you draw some pictures for Shayera? I'm sure she'd like them."

"Okay."

"That's my girl. Now Mommy's gotta go to work. I'll see you tonight."

"Bye Mommy," The twins said together from the door. I waved to them as I left the building and headed to for the bus stop to take me to the transport site.

It sucked not having my own method of transportation. I did not like to rely on public transportation. The bus always showed up late or way early. When it finally showed up, the bus was crammed full of people. Small children crying, old people with shopping bags, and unfortunate citizens like me, who could not afford to own their own vehicles.

The bus left me off just outside of town. My transport site was twenty miles outside Central City; the bus could only take me nineteen miles to the site. The remaining mile was a bit trickier. Sometimes I would walk, but since Flash also lived in Central City, he usually waited for me at the bus stop and used his superspeed to get us there on time.

Today, however, was one of those days were I walked to the site. I did not mind the walk. It was actually quite a pleasant walk. It gave me a chance to dream up new inventions and make rough sketches of them. Then later in my workshop, I had the technology to bring them into reality.

"Come in Watchtower," I said into my com-link. "This is Amelia."

"Shayera here. Good morning Amelia."

"And good morning to you. I'm approaching the site."

"Standing by to transport."

I stopped walking. "I know this is gonna sound cliché and geeky but I can't resist. Beam me up Shayera."

A bright light encircled me and a moment later I was in the transporter room of the Watchtower.

"Beam me up Shayera?" Shayera said with raised eyebrows.

"I told you I couldn't resist. Would you prefer "Beam me up Scotty?""

"Were you watching Star Trek again?"

"No…. okay yes."

Shayera shook her head. "Where's Flash? I thought he was coming in with you."

"He never showed. I though he came in early."

"No. I'm the only here. J'onn and Superman got called away on a mission."

"Maybe they got in touch with Flash to rendezvous with them."

"Maybe."

"I'll be in my workshop if you need anything."

"Right."

* * *

Wiping the sweat off my brow, I threw my dirty rag aside and admired my work. For months I had been tinkering around trying to make devices that would alter the gravitational field around my body so that I could reach those hard to reach high places around the Watchtower and now I think I had it. Taking a pair of gloves and boots I requisitioned from the storeroom, I slid the devices into pockets in the palm and fingers of one of the gloves.

"Time for a little test," I said putting the glove on. There was a crate in the corner on the opposite side of my workshop. Lifting my hand, I activated the device and waited. The crate wiggled at the device's force, but lift off the ground a few inches. I raised my hand and the crate rose a few feet. Soon I had it close to the ceiling.

"In the words of Archimedes and the motto of the state of California: Eureka!" I said setting the crate down. "Now all I have to do is build three more units and…" The gleam of metal caught my eye. Taking off the glove, I got out of my chair to see what it was. Whatever it was, a dirty sheet covered it. Pulling back the sheet, I saw something that seemed like a dream come true. It was a motorcycle, a motorcycle badly in need of repair, but a motorcycle nonetheless.

"I've said it once and I'll say it again: Eureka! Oh man, this is so much better than a trip to Disneyworld. You've been stuck back there for a long time, haven't you? Well don't worry. I'm going to fix you up."

Unfortunately all the tools I needed were in the repair shop. I tried to push the bike out of the corner it was tucked in, but the brakes had rusted shut. I would have to find another way. Wait a sec. The gravity devices I was working on. I could use them to get the bike to the repair shop. Duh. Why did not I think of it before? Slipping on my glove, I tried to move the bike again. This time it hovered slightly off the ground, just enough for me to push it along.

I managed to make it out of my workshop and was rounding the corner; I bumped into an unfamiliar face. He was not a very tall man 5'10" at the most, very slim and trim. His hair was black and kind of long. I would not call it a mullet, but it gave him that kind of rugged pirate look. He was definitely a superhero. He was dressed in blue and black spandex and wore something like a domino mask over his eyes. He seemed surprised when he looked up and saw me.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly.

"No. My fault," I replied. "Can I help you? You look kinda lost."

"I am. I don't come up here often. I was looking for Amelia Jones."

"What can I do for you?"

"You're Amelia Jones?"

"Sure am. What's up…uh?

"Nightwing."

"Nightwing? You're joking?"

"Nope."

"Any relation to Batman?"

"Not really. He just trained me."

"Ah. So Nightwing, what can I possible do for you?"

"Well it's kind of embarrassing, but I was told that you were to person to see. You see my grapple gun jammed on me during a mission. I've taken it apart and put it back together again and it didn't seem to unjam it. Maybe you can help?"

"Let me see."

He handed the grapple gun to me. Deactivating the gravity glove, I examined the gun. I shook it, I tapped it, and a number of other things that people did to unjam something. "I'll have to take it apart. Follow me."

"What is this place?" Nightwing asked as we came into the repair shop. It was a huge warehouse-type building. It was quite empty now, but once you got _Javelin_ in here, it did not seem that big at all.

"This is where I make repairs to the Justice League equipment. I have to be able to repair jets in this place," I answered parking the bike. "So are you a member of the League?"

"Nah. I've helped them out a couple of times when they were in my neck of the woods and they let me use the equipment in the Watchtower sometimes."

"And this is one of the those times?"

"Yeah. So can you fix the grapple gun?"

"Can I fix it he asks? Silly question."

I grabbed a screwdriver and a can of pressurized air. I opened up the grapple gun and was not surprised at what I found. The inside was filthy. Dust, grit, and things I did not even what to think about had gummed up the firing mechanism. Using the pressurized air, I blew the foreign matter out of the firing mechanism. There was also quite a bit of grime on the trigger. Placing the safety on, I reached up on a shelf for some solvent and a rag. In the twinkling of an eye, she was clean. Putting the gun back together I handed it back to Nightwing. "Try it now."

He fired the grapple and a cable shot out of the nozzle. "What was wrong with it?" he asked.

"It didn't look like you had cleaned it in a long time. I could make a kit for you so that you can clean it after every use."

"Thanks," he said rearming the grapple gun. "Is that a '86 Firecat?" he asked looking over the motorcycle.

"I don't know. It's so caked with mud and dust that I can't even tell what make and model it is."

"Whadda say we clean her up and find out?" Nightwing replied picking up a rage.

* * *

With Nightwing's help, the bike was clean in a matter of minutes. It turned out it was a 1986 O'Neil X class Firecat. Motorcycle enthusiasts everywhere would kill to get their hands on one of these babies. According to motorcycle lore, only two hundred were every made before the O'Neil Company went bankrupt in 1986. Unfortunately the collector's item that stood before me was badly in need of repair. At first glance it looked like it need a new gearshift, muffler, and probably a new engine to boot. Not to mention some serious bodywork.

"A fixer upper doesn't even begin to describe this machine," I said to Nightwing.

"You got that right. This thing looks like it was used and abused. Who would neglect a ride like this?"

"Who knows? But I plan to resurrect it. Care to help?"

"Where do we start?"

"Engine. My toolbox is over on the table over there," I answered pointing to the drafting table in the corner.

Nightwing went to get the tools while I continued to look the bike over. "New brakes…brake pads…tail lights…tires…battery…maybe a rocket booster…"

"These your kids?" Nightwing asked.

"Huh?" I was so last in thought that I did not hear him.

"Are these your kids?" Nightwing asked again holding up a picture of my kids.

"Yeah. Heather and Timmy."

"Is this dad?" Nightwing asked picking up another picture.

Coming over to the drafting table, I looked at the picture. It was of a young man with black hair and blue eyes. He was holding my newborn twins in his arms and smiling. His shirt was wrinkled and tie loosened, but he still smiled. I only knew one man who could smile like that. "No. That's my cousin Dick."

"Not Dick Grayson by any chance?"

"That's right. You know him?"

"I've run into him here and there. He's a cop in Blüdhaven isn't he?"  
"Yeah that's right."

"Thought so. I work with him sometimes. He's a good man."

"He sure is. If it weren't for him, well I wouldn't be in the place I am now."

"Why do say that?"

"Dick's helped me out so much over the years. He was there for me when my kids were born and he even found me a place to live for a while. Hey could you do something for me?"

"If I can."

"Next time you see Dick, tell him that I'm all right and the kids are doing just fine. And also tell him that he should come and visit when he gets the chance."

Nightwing nodded. "I can do that. Would you mind if I took this?" he asked taking the picture of my kids. "I mean so I can give it to him."

"How about you take this one?" I said picking up a family portrait I recently had done. It had the twins and me in it. I knew Dick would like it better than a picture of the kids two years ago. "Come on," I said putting a hand on Nightwing's shoulder and handling him a wrench. "We've got a bike to fix."


	6. Chapter 6

"Amelia, dear," Granny said poking her head out the doorframe. I had just gotten home from work and was anxious to have as quiet a night as I could with four-year-old twins. So much for a quiet night.

"What's up Granny? Did a pipe burst or something?"

"No dear. I just wanted to tell you that I know a nice young man that you might be interested in."

Something I did not need. I was not looking to be a part of a game of Let's Make A Date. "Look Granny, I really appreciate what you are trying to do, but I'm not looking to be fixed up."

"Amelia," she said in her mother tone of voice. "You are a beautiful young woman…"

"With two kids," I added.

"Don't interrupt me. Those children need a father in their lives. While you have done a remarkable job of raising them on your own, they are getting to an age where they need more than one parent. Timothy is growing up and will start asking difficult questions that only a man can answer."

As much as I hated it she had a point. In a few years, Timmy was going to be asking some tough questions to which I would have no answers. But I could get one of the Justice League men to give him "The Talk". If nothing else, I could call Dick to talk to Timmy. What did I need a man for?

But then there was something about having a man around that could make a girl feel…special. For all Mike's abuse and patronizing, when we first met, he made feel like I was the only woman in the world. Despite our lack of money in the early days, Mike would buy me a rose every Tuesday and place it next to a note telling me how much he loved me. Even after Mike's acting career took off, he still found the time to leave me a rose and a note. Sometimes I wondered why I left him, but then I look at my scars and my kids and I remember. Now, four years later, I caught myself wanting to feel special again.

I had not dated much since I had the twins. Some men just did not like the idea of sharing their girl with another person. The twins seemed to represent a warning signal to men saying that I would drop them like an old hat if my kids did not like them. What I needed was a guy who would love my kids and me. But where would I find one?

"Who's the guy, Granny?" I asked.

"His name is Paul Herman. He did some work for me and he is the nicest man you're likely to meet. Shall I call him and arrange a date?"

I took a deep breath for the cold plunge into the dating world. "Might as well. As long as you baby sit."

"Only if your date isn't on my bridge night."

I shook my head and smiled. Nothing came between Granny and her bridge night. It must be an old lady thing that I will be doing when it is time for me to file for social security. I could picture myself forty years from now, my hair all gray and my face wrinkled. Heather and Timothy tired of having me around and sent me to a very swank retirement home in the sunny south of America. I would be in my short, a t-shirt, and orthopedic shoes with a martini in one hand and the keys to my motorcycle in the other. I smiled and shook my head as I walked up the stairs to my apartment.

"Mommy!" The twins cried as I opened my apartment door. They ran into my arms nearly knocking me over.

"And hello to you too," I replied with a hug and a kiss for each of them. "Were they good today Sally?"

Sally Gregory was a soon to be single mother who lived in the apartment below mine. She was a pretty thing with long blond hair and green eyes. Sally was a high school drop out and runaway who got addicted to drugs; taking up prostitution to fed her habit. Granny found her on the streets, dirty, high, and pregnant. With Granny's help she made it through rehab and found a job in a café down the street. Sally was currently enrolled at night school to get her G.E.D and become a stylist. For now, she earned a few extra bucks babysitting for me so that she could get experience with kids.

"Yes they were. We went to the park for a while."

"I fell down and hurt myself," Timmy said proudly showing me his skinned knee that was covered by a dinosaur band-aid.

"He skinned his knee on the playground," Sally worriedly. "I'm sorry it happened."

"Sally don't worry," I said reassuringly as I dug into my purse. "Kids fall down and hurt themselves all the time. Here's the money I owe you."

I handed her a bank envelope that contained a hundred dollars in twenty-dollar increments. She smiled gratefully before getting her coat. "Thanks," she said. "Now I can pay the rent I owe Granny. See ya later Amelia. Bye kids."

"Bye Sally," the kids said waving good-bye. Sally smiled as she left.

"Mommy," Heather said.

"Yes sweetie," I answered putting my coat away.

"Why doesn't Flash take care of us while you're at work?"

"Because sweetie, when Mommy's at work so is Flash. We work together. Besides Flash has got other responsibilities besides playing with the two of you."

Heather's eyes welled up and her lips quivered. "Does that mean that Flash doesn't like us anymore?"

"Oh no sweetie. He likes you; it's just that he has other things that he has to do. Do you understand?"

Heather nodded and ran her hand over her eyes. I picked her up and carried her over to the couch. Timmy followed and sat down next to me, while Heather sat on my lap. I sighed. "Heather, Timothy. I need to ask you something. How would you feel if Mommy started going out again?"

The twins look at each other. "I want you to stay home," Timmy said stubbornly.

"Me too," Heather said with equal stubbornness.

"Kids come on. Mommy really needs to do this."

"Why?" Timmy asked with his arms folded across his chest.

Oh boy how do I explain this one? "Because Mommy has…an empty space inside her heart. An empty space that can't be filled by all the love I have for the two of you. A space I can only fill by loving a man."

"Like Daddy?" Heather asked.

They never understood why their father was not in their lives, just that he was not. I screwed on a smile for them. "Sort of."

* * *

"And finally," Superman said at the morning briefing on Monday. The seven founding members of the Justice League and me usually attended the briefings. I was obligated to come to these meetings to give them maintenance updates and to pitch ideas for new weapons and vehicles. "How is the new Watchtower: Moon Base design coming along Amelia?"

"Great," I said. "I should have the final specs finished by day after tomorrow. We could begin construction next week after the plans have been approved."

"I'd like the plans done by tomorrow," Superman replied.

"Sorry. I've got something to do tonight. They'll be done when I said they would be done."

Superman's eyes narrowed. "What exactly do you have planned tonight? Another all night Star Trek-a-thon?"

"Star Wars actually," I answered sarcastically.

"Same difference."

Flash and I gaped in horror. Superman did not the difference between Star Trek and Star Wars. It was a sign of the apocalypse. Even Green Lantern and Batman seemed surprised. "You should know," I said carefully. "That you never ever, ever say that Star Wars and Star Trek are the same thing."

"And why not?"

"Because!" Flash exclaimed, "One takes place thousands of years in the future and the other took place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away! And that's only to start!"

"Anyway. Finishing the Moon Base design should be your top priority," Superman said seriously.

"And I told you that they will be done. It's just that I happen to have a date tonight."

"Whoa. You've got a date?" Flash said.

"Yeah. So?"

"Well we've got to alert the media."

"Ha ha."

"Who is it?" Green Lantern asked.

"Some guy my landlady fixed me up with. Paul Herman I think."

Flash's eyes narrowed at the name. Something was up. I could see the little hamster in his mind running like crazy, but why? He knew something I did not know.

"I think we can call that the end of the meeting," Batman said.

As we all filed out of the briefing room, Flash caught up me by my arm in the hall. His eyes were full of concern and his grip on my arm made me wonder even more about what was wrong.

"What do your kids think about you dating?" he asked quietly.

"They're not happy about it. It's one the rare times that they have to share me with someone else. To be honest, I'm not thrilled with the idea of going on a blind date."

"Then why go?"

"Because my kids need a father in their lives. I'm not just doing this for myself, but for them."

He nodded. "I see. Just be careful Amelia. Blind dates aren't always the safest method of dating."

"Hey," I said putting on a smile. "I'm a big girl. I can tie my own shoes and everything."

* * *

_Why am I here?_ I asked myself for the billionth time that night. _Why am I not at home with my kids arguing about bedtimes. Oh yeah, for one solitary moment you decided that you wanted to start dating again. Not one of your more brilliant ideas Amelia._

My blind date Paul Herman was an interesting guy of the tall, dark and handsome variety. He was one of Granny's success stories. Pulled off the streets by Granny, he was now the director of an advertising firm in Central City. When he was not trying to brainwash the public with ads, he indulged in boxing.

"Boxing?" I said when he told me.

"Yeah, I've gone a couple of rounds with Batman for a charity event."

_Yeah right._ I thought to myself. _Anyone who went three rounds with Batman would not be here bragging about it, they would be in a body cast being feed through a tube. Besides, Batman does not do charity events._

"Would you excuse me Amelia?" he asked. "I've gotta see a man about a horse."

I tried not to crack a smile at the euphemism. "Go right ahead."

I watched him leave the table and head towards the little boy's room. As I waited for him to return, I surveyed the other patrons of the restaurant. At the table across from mine was a cute redheaded guy with green eyes and a grin that just would not stop. Our eyes met and it felt like a live wire had hit me. He winked at me and I looked away to view the other occupants in the fish tank known as life. I did not expect to see anyone I knew, but I did. Tucked in a shadowy corner, was the Question decked out in his usual fedora and trench coat. He slowly got up and walked over to me.

"Amelia," he said. "What a coincidence."

I raised an eyebrow. "You don't believe in coincidences. You're a conspiracy theorist."

Question sat down across from me. "All right. I know when I've been caught. Flash asked me to make sure that you were okay."

"Central City is a bit out of your way."

"I owed him a favor. Flash is here too. This guy that you've been set up with. He's bad news."

"I don't understand."

"I'll explain later. But we've got to get you out of here."

He took my hand and tried to lead me away from the table. All of a sudden, Paul came back from the bathroom, but with an automatic rifle in his hand. He shot into the air and Question flipped over the table, pulling me behind it.

"Is this what you mean by bad news?" I asked panicked as bullets whizzed by the up turned table.

"Don't panic," Question said.

"Goddammit Question some goddamn nutcase is shooting at me and you're telling me not to panic. Who the hell is this guy?"

"Herman is part of a militant movement dedicated to wiping out metahumans and anyone associated with them."

I covered my head and neck as the glass chandelier shattered and rained broken glass on us. "Is that why Flash got so jumpy when I mentioned who I was going out with?"

"That is exactly why I got jumpy," Flash said coming out of nowhere and stopping next to me. He was panting. He and Question exchanged looks. "Q take the right. I'll go left," Flash replied leaving on contingency not covered.

"Then I'll take center," I said.

"No way," Flash and Question said.

"Yes way," I said picking up a nearby steak knife off the floor. "I'm a little out of practice, but I've never missed."

I stood up and hurled the knife at Paul Herman. The knife lodged in his gun, making it useless and giving Flash and Question a balanced playing field. While they took out the bad guy, I helped clear the restaurant of screaming civilians. As the last patron was out, the police and emergency crews arrived to take over. I waited in the street for Flash and Question. It was just my luck that it started to rain.

Flash and Question came out of the building with a bruised Paul Herman in custody. After turning him over to the police, Herman proceeded to curse all metahumans with some of the foulest language I had ever heard until the police shut the door on him. I waited until the squad car drove away, before going over to my friends.

"Are you okay?" Flash asked worriedly when he saw that I was shaking.

"A little shaky. Why was he here? How would he know that any metahumans would be here?"

"I don't think he was just after metahumans," Question said. "Remember I said the group is also after anyone associated with metahumans. I think that he was after you."

"But why? What could I possible have that would help him? I'm a mechanic."

"But you're the Justice League's mechanic and members of the League are metahumans," Question explained taking off his trench coat and putting it around my shoulders.

If Herman knew whom I worked for, then he must have known everything else about me. But how and did he…? "Oh my God. Timmy. Heather. If Herman knows about the League, and me then he must also know about my kids. I've gotta get home. I gotta…"

Before I could finish, someone lifted me off the ground and in less than an instant; Flash, Question, and I were standing outside of my apartment. I threw open the door to find Heather and Timmy playing with Sally.

"Oh thank God," I cried running to them and hugging them.

"Mommy, what's going on?" Timmy asked. "Why are you crying?"

Wiping the tear away from my cheek, I smiled. "I'm just so happy that you're okay."

"Amelia," Flash said putting his hand on my shoulder, "I think that it would be best if we took you and the twins to the Watchtower until this whole thing is cleared up."

I nodded and held my twins close. I came very close to losing them forever, something I was not about to let happen again.


	7. Chapter 7

Two weeks went by since my close encounter with a madman. Again I moved into the Watchtower bringing my twins with me. I was not the only bringing a family to the Watchtower. I noticed that other members of the League were bringing members of their families up to the Watchtower. Soon the space station felt like a can of sardines as more people were brought in for safety. The close quarters of the Watchtower inspired me to make a couple of changes to my Moon Base design.

"And finally," I said flipping to the next chart. "Personal and guest quarters for the League, their families, and unexpected guests to the Moon Base. This will prevent crowded rooms and give a little privacy in case we all have to bring our families here for safety again."

The League had been silent during my pitch of the Moon Base design. The entire morning meeting had been dedicated to me so that I might present the plans. After the meeting, I was going to the mess hall and getting a Danish and some coffee. I had stayed up very late the night before finishing the plans and getting them ready for presentation this morning.

"I think," Wonder Woman uttered, "that the idea that we have more quarters available for another such evacuation as we are experiencing now is a good one. Our present base simple doesn't have the space or the facilities to care for the League and their families simultaneously."

"What steps have you taken for the care and well being of the children that would come here?" J'onn asked.

"In my detail drawings I have plans for a pediatric ward of our medical bay, a couple of rooms that could be used to hold classes so that the school age kids could continue to learn, and a specially designated area for a daycare facility for working and/or single parents such as myself and Flash," I answered. "If we have to evacuate our families again, we'll be prepared to care for the children as well as the adults."

"Who would run these facilities that you propose?" Batman inquired.

"Our family members. With the diverse nature of the League, it would not be too much to assume that there are doctors, teachers, and nurturers that could fill the positions needed. I know that the teens that would be brought here will be looking for ways to earn our respect and a few extra bucks by babysitting the younger kids."

"It's true," Flash said leaning back in his chair. "It's how I earn money in the old neighborhood as a kid. That and mowing lawns."

"Then I think we are agreed," Superman said. "Batman and Amelia will be in charge of constructing the base. Pull whatever help you need to…"

"Amelia!" Nightwing cried running into the briefing room. "You've gotta get to the medical bay quick!"

"Why? Did a circuit blow?"

He shook his head. "It's the twins…"

"Oh God! No!" I cried running out of the briefing room.

As I ran, Flash came up beside me and swept me off my feet before setting me down outside the medical bay. The bay doors opened and I rushed to my children's bedsides.

They were both pale and sickly. Dark circles were under their eyes. Heather was fast asleep with sweat beating down her face. Timothy was awake but delirious with fever.

"Mommy?" he asked in a feverish tone.

"I'm here sweetie," I said gently stroking his sweat soaked hair.

"I'm cold Mommy."

"I'll get you another blanket." I left his side and turned to Nightwing. "What happened?" I demanded.

"I stopped by your quarters. When I got no answer, I bypassed the controls and went in. I heard moaning from the twin's room and found them in their beds with high fevers. I brought them here and then went to get you," He answered somberly.

"What's wrong with them?" I asked worriedly. "They've never been this sick before."

"Well find out Amelia," J'onn said gently. "I'll get started right away."

"Thank you J'onn," I replied quietly. Turning, I looked at my children again, my eyes filling with tears. "I don't know what I'll do if I lose them." My voice was breaking as tears trickled down my cheek. "I…" I could not finish. Overcome by emotion, I buried my face in my hands and cried.

Someone put a hand on my shoulder and pulled me closer. I turned and wept into Flash's chest. He put his arms around me and held me as I cried.

"Flash, perhaps Amelia would benefit from a walk," J'onn replied.

Flash nodded and with one arm around my waist, the other taking me by the hand, he walked me away from the medical bay. Footfalls behind me told of two others following us.

* * *

We stopped at one of the large bay space windows. I sat on the window ledge. Flash knelt in front of me while Batman and Nightwing flanked him.

"I'm all right," I said with a sniffle.

"No, you're not," Flash said. "You're scared half out of your mind. Look you're shaking."

It was true. My hands trembled and my body shook from all the crying. Flash took my hands. Something about Flash seemed right. He made me feel…loved.

_No_, I thought. _No good will come of you dating a superhero Amelia Jones. So get rid of those thoughts right now._

"Amelia," Flash whispered. "If there's anything I can do…"

"Not unless you can speed down to Blüdhaven and bring my cousin up here. I would give anything to have Dick here right now."

"I don't think he needs to go Blüdhaven," Nightwing replied.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Nightwing reach up and pulled off his domino mask. I froze when I beheld the face of my cousin: Dick Grayson. I could not believe it. My cousin. Cousin Dick was Nightwing. Wait a second. If Dick was Nightwing and Bruce Wayne raised Dick and Batman trained Nightwing, then Batman and Bruce Wayne were…

I looked up at Batman. The look he returned was one that he obviously knew that I knew that under the mask he was the billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne. He pulled back his mask, revealing his alter ego.

All I could do was shake my head. I felt a headache coming on. Some part of me was relieved that I had Dick up here to help me through my current crisis. But another part, a much bigger part, was angry. Why did Dick never tell me that he and Nightwing were one and the same?

"Dick, why didn't you tell me?" I asked my cousin.

"I couldn't," he replied sitting next to me. "You didn't need to know."

"I didn't need to know?" I repeated. "And you deem me worthy to know now?"

"Mia, please try to understand," Dick said using the nickname he had given me. "No outside the family could know."

"Outside the family?" I asked tightly. "In case you hadn't noticed Dick, I AM FAMILY!"

I knew I was angry. I always shouted when I was angry. There was no talking me when I was in a mood. I got to my feet and ran as fast as my legs would carry me. I needed to calm down somewhere and alone. That meant one thing as my steps turned toward the gymnasium.

As the daughter of a trapeze artist, my mother trained me in the art of trapeze. As a teen I found that swinging on a trapeze cleared my head as I was making physical and emotional changes. Unfortunately the Watchtower had no trapeze, another thing to add to my Moon Base design. So I decided on the next best thing: mat routines.

Popping one of my dance mix CD's into the CD player I took to the mats for the first time in about five years. I worried whether or not I could still perform the stunts I used to. After I fell performing a simple cartwheel, I worried even more.

_You can't let yourself worry about failure._ Mom always used to say to me. _You've gotta just close your eyes, take a deep breath and do it._ Following Mom's advice, I closed my eyes, breathed in and did it.

Before I knew it, I was doing forward flips, back flips, handsprings and all sorts of twist, just like I used to. I could not say how long I was on the mats, but I finally collapsed from exhaustion both physically and emotionally. I flopped back on the mat, my chest heaving up and down as I regained my breath.

"You should get some rest."

I sat up to find Batman standing by the gym door. "How long have you been there?" I asked.

"Long enough," he answered coming out onto the mat and reaching his hand out to me. I took it and he helped me up. "You know Dick was really hurt at what you said."

"And I wasn't hurt by what he said? Goddammit Batman, I am part of his family and perfect strangers knew about his dual identities years before I did. Explain to me the logic in that."

Batman nodded. "Your points are valid and if I were in your place, I would be feeling the same way."

"Why are you here Batman? You didn't come here to admire my mat technique or to tell me that I hurt Dick's feelings, then agree with me."

He pulled back his mask again. "What I have to say needs to be said by Bruce Wayne, not Batman. Amelia what you said about family struck a cord with me. You know that my parents are dead."

"I do know," I said sitting on a bench. "I don't think that there isn't a person in the world who doesn't know the tragedy of Wayne murders."

"Well it occurred to me that when I took Dick in after his parents were killed, I deprived you of your family and of protection. If Dick had gone to live with you, you might not have had such a hard life."

"And if Dick had come to live with me, my parents would still probably have died in that fire leaving me and Dick alone in the world. Yes Dick might have prevented me ending up in an abusive marriage, but then I wouldn't have Timmy and Heather. I wouldn't have you and the Justice League as friends. You did the right thing by Dick. I am very proud of the man he has become."

"So am I."

"I probably shouldn't have reacted the way I did, but it felt like Dick didn't trust me to keep a secret."

"I think that Dick might see you as more of a civilian than family. The family he referred to is the Bat family and to be a member, you must be sanctioned by me."

"An exclusive club. Do you have jackets?"

Batman--Bruce--shook his head and managed to crack a smile, a small one but a smile nevertheless. "No, but I would like to add you and your children to the membership."

My heart skipped a beat. "Are you feeling all right? Because it is so unlike you to be so…warm and fuzzy."

"I'm serious."

"Then I accept." My face fell. "I just hope that the children live long enough to enjoy the privilege."

"Maybe J'onn has found some answers."

"Maybe."

* * *

"Anything?" I asked anxiously as Batman and I arrived at the medical bay. J'onn was standing at a computer terminal.

"Amelia, you better sit down," J'onn said.

"Oh God!" I whispered. "J'onn please tell me that I'm not going to lose them."

"No Amelia, you won't lose them. They will recover."

A tremendous weight seemed to fall off my shoulders. "Thank God."

"But…"

I did not like the sound of that but. "But what?"

"Amelia, I am going to need a sample of your DNA."

"What for?"

"I believe that you maybe a carrier for the metagene."

"And what does that have to…wait a second. Are you saying my children have superpowers?!"

"That appears to be the case," J'onn replied bringing up an image on the computer screen. It was two sets of DNA double helixes. He typed in something and the screen stopped at a particular sequence. "Their sudden illness is their body's reaction to the gene becoming active. Only time will tell what their superpowers are."

"And since I don't have any superpowers, you assume that I am a carrier."

"Indeed. For the metagene to be present both parents must be carriers or one parent is a metahuman. Your former husband might be a carrier or a metahuman."

I sighed as I leaned on the wall. "If he was, he sure kept it quiet." I reached up to my head and pulled out a couple of strands of hair. "Will a hair sample suffice?"

J'onn nodded. "Amelia I suggest that you inform your ex-husband about the possible danger he is in. If this anti-metahuman group tracked you down, they might have him in mind for another target."

"I think about it," I replied with a shrug.

* * *

Not about to leave my children alone, I set up a cot in the medical bay and I was not leaving until my children did. J'onn's suggestion that I contact my ex still resonated in my mind. Could I do it? Face him after five years. Looking at my children as they slept, I worried. If I did contact Mike, would he try to take my children away from me? Had he changed his view on parenthood since our divorce? Would he….?

"Guess who?" someone asked covering my eyes. Only one person would do something like this.

"Hi Flash," I said with a smile.

"Wrong answer," he said uncovering my eyes and sitting next to me. Next to me sat a man not much older than me with red hair, green eyes and a smile…that…would… not…quit…

"You! You were that man who winked at me at that restaurant."

"Q did tell you I was there."

"Well it's not like I've ever seen you face."

"True. I'm Wally West by the way," he said holding out his hand to me.

"Amelia Jones," I replied shaking his hand.

"How are the munchkins?" he asked turning to the kids.

"Doing better. J'onn gave them something to bring down their fevers and help them sleep."

"And what about you? How is Mom doing through all of this?"

"I'm fine."

Wally shook his head. "Amelia, this is me you're talking to. Who better than I knows what it's like to watch someone you love and care about lying in a bed and not being able to do a thing about it."

"To be honest. I am still in shock. I mean, you probably had some idea that you would father another speedster."

"Charlie is the world's fastest baby."

"But for me, I had no idea until now. Twins are hard enough by myself, but super powered twins. Tell me how I am supposed to cope with that?"

Wally sighed. "I haven't got the answers. But I promise that I'll help you through it. The twins can rely on Uncle Wally to be there."

"And Cousin Dick will be there too," Dick said from the door.

I turned to Dick as he walked into the medical bay. He thrust his hands into his pockets and stopped in front of me.

Wally cleared his throat. "I better get going. Remember, if you need anything Amelia, you know where to find me."

"Right."

Wally left me alone with my cousin. "Listen Amelia," Dick said. "I wanted to apologize for what I said. I don't know why I said it, but I shouldn't have."

"Dick it's okay. I shouldn't have shout. But you will admit that your timing wasn't the greatest."

"I will admit that. I just didn't want to see you go through this alone."

"Do you think that the Justice League would let me go through this alone?"

"No, but you don't _know_ the people behind the masks very well."

"That may be, but I am starting to getting to know them at last."

"Bruce tells me that he's asked you to become apart of the family."

I nodded. "Yes he did and let me tell you it scared the hell out of me."

"He has a habit of doing that. But underneath it all, he is a good man. Mia is something else bothering you? I mean besides the twins being sick and all."

"J'onn suggested that I tell Mike what's been going on."

Dick clenched his fists. He had had it out for Mike ever since I told him about the abuse. It came to a point that Mike could not even blow his nose without Dick knowing about it and now that I was a part of the Bat family, I had a feeling Batman would be keeping an eye on Mike as well.

"Are you going to?" Dick asked.

"I haven't decided yet. Honestly Dick I don't know what scares me more: being the mother of super powered twins or facing my ex-husband."

"Well I'll be there for both cases. Maybe I should move the Central City to be closer to you and the kids."

"No Dick. You've got your own life. All I'm gonna ask is that you visit a couple of times a year."

"It'll be more like a couple of times a month," Dick said with a smile. "Now Mia, tell me what's up between you and Wally?"

"Me and Wally?"

"Oh come on Mia. I've seen the way you two look at each other when you think no one is looking. You've got a crush on him."

"Dick, we're just friends," I protested as my face flushed red.

"Ah huh. Mia, I know you and I know Wally. You're interested in him just as much as his interested in you."

Wally West was interested in me?! The Flash was interested in me, a single mother of two without superpowers? Dare I pinch myself to make sure that I was not dreaming? I cleared my throat. "I don't know what you're talking about Richard Grayson."

"Whatever." Dick leaned forward and kissed my forehead. "Get some rest Mia. You're gonna need it for what's ahead."


	8. Chapter 8

_"Good night little girls thank the Lord you are well. Now go to sleep."_

_"Good night, good night dear Miss Clavel."_

_"And Miss Clavel turned out the light, and closed the door. And that's all there is, there isn't anymore."_

I opened my eyes as Wally closed a book and put it on the floor. Heather was fast asleep in his lap with her rag doll and blanket. He kissed her forehead and carried her back to her bed in the medical bay. I smiled as he tucked the blanket around her. Wally quietly went back to the chair and picked up the book, placing it in a pile of other books. Turning around, he noticed that I was awake.

"Hey Sleeping Beauty," he said coming over to my cot. "How are you feeling?"

"Very tired." I looked over at my children. "How are they?"

"Doing better. Their fevers are gone and they're getting stronger."

I lay back on my cot and yawned. "How long have I been out?"

"Two days."

I bolted up again. "Two days!"

"We thought you need sleep, so we let you sleep.

"You didn't drug me did you?"

"No. I've been here as often as I can taking care of the kids while you were asleep."

"But what about your son? I'll bet he's missing his daddy."

"Charlie's been here with me. My aunt just left with him."

One of those awkward silences descended upon us. For a while, we just sat on my cot watching the twins sleep. I could not help be nervous with him sitting so close to me. He was cute and he treated me kids like they were his own. I tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear.

"A…Amelia," Wally said hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering."

"Yes?"

"I know that you're going through a lot right now and it might not be the best time, but I was wondering…if…maybe…you…you'd like to got to a movie or something with me."

I blushed and fidgeted a little in disbelief. "Are…are you asking me on a date?"

It was his turn to blush. "Yeah. Look we don't have to go right away. I mean I know that you're going to spend ever waking hour with your kids until you figure out what's going on, but when you do…"

"I'd love to go out with you," I blurted out cutting him off.

"You…you would?"

I nodded.

"Well…great. Saturday, if it's not too soon."

I shook my head. "No. Saturday is fine."

"Great. I guess I'll see you," he said as he dreamily headed for the door and backed into a wall

I smirked. "See you."

Oh God. It was as if we were two awkward teens on an after school special. He was the guy that all the girls wanted and I was the likeable girl next door who was more of a best friend to all the guys. It was almost…cliché.

WAIT! What the hell was I doing?! I was going on a date with superhero! A god among mortals!

"You need to have your head examined Amelia Jones," I said to myself. "You've got enough on your plate without going on a date with a guy with the attention span of a gnat." But then I thought back to the moment when I woke up and found him reading to Heather. "He does seem to really care. And he has been there for me when I needed someone to be there. Hmm. What have I got to lose, except my sanity?"

* * *

The week rolled by and the twins were released from the medical bay much to my relief. Happy to be in a less sterile environment and sleeping in a real bed, the first thing I did was to explain to the twins that I was going to try and play the dating game again. To say they were unhappy would be an understatement. They were furious with me. 

"We don't want you to go out again!" Timmy shouted.

"The last time you did someone shot at you!" Heather protested.

"That won't happen this time," I said gently. "The man I'm going with won't let it happen."

"Who are you going with?" Timmy asked.

"His name is Wally and he is a very nice man."

"I don't like him," Heather huffed.

"You haven't met him yet."

"I still don't like him."

"Me neither," Timmy concurred.

"Listen you two, adults have friends that they spend time with, just like you kids have friends that you spend time with," I said. "Now Mommy is going on this date. Okay?"

Tears began to well up in my twins' eyes. Their lips quivered threatening a temper tantrum. They clenched their fists and began to scream. When they learn that they only make things worse when they threw tantrums? Grabbing each one by the wrists I carried -or rather- dragged them to their room. Naturally they resisted and tried to pry my hands loose.

"Now," I said sitting them on the lower bunk. "You are going to stay in here and to think about your behavior. When I'm ready for you to come out, I will come and get you."

Closing the door behind me, I went to the living room and flopped on the couch holding my head in my hands. My temples were throbbing and I felt like crying. It was all getting to be too much. Before when it was just the twins and me I could handle it. But now my children had superpowers, I met a guy who is a superhero and he cares about me, I find out I am related to a costumed crime fighter and on top of all of this I have to cope with all of this alone.

"Amelia."

I turned around and found J'onn standing in my doorway. "Hey," I said trying to hold back my tears.

"I came by to check on the children, but I see that you are in some kind of distress."

"Distress? Me? No, I don't think so."

"Then why are you beginning to cry?"

Rubbing my forehead, I managed to crack a smile through my tears. "Ha. Telepaths."

"It does not take a telepath to see you are upset. Do you want to talk about it?"

I sighed. "You probably heard that I'm going on a date with Wally on Saturday."  
"I did."

"Do you think that I am doing the right thing by going on this date? I mean the last date I went on ended up with me under a table being shot at."

"I cannot tell you what to do."

"Advise me. God I feel like my life is falling apart before my eyes."

J'onn sat in the chair next to me. "It seems to me that with all that have gone through-discovering that your children have superpowers for example-that you to have sometime for yourself. You have stretched yourself very thin for over four years and it is my belief that you have reached a breaking point. Therefore I recommend that you got on this date."

"You think so huh," I said getting up. "It's going to be difficult."

"It always is."

"Spoken like someone whose been there, done that, and bought the T-shirt."

"Would it ease your mind if I baby-sat for you?"

My eyebrows perked up at the idea of J'onn J'onzz, the Manhunter from Mars baby-sitting. "You? Baby-sit?"

"As I recall, you did invite me to be part of your family. Am I not uncle to the children?"

"Yeah."

"Then the responsibility of caring for them falls to me when you are out. Besides I want to keep an eye on them. Their powers will be appearing soon enough."

"Thanks so much J'onn," I aid giving my big green brother a hug. "You know for everything."

"It is nothing. It is the least I can do."

* * *

Saturday rolled in and I was still a nervous wreck. Aside from regular parenting duties, I had to keep an eye for any sign of the twins' superpowers. So far, there was nothing out of the ordinary, but since when is having twins ordinary. Road to life always seemed to get bumpy for me nevertheless I was hitting smooth pavement again as I got ready for my movie date. 

It seems that Wally had scored highly coveted tickets to the Central City Classic Movie Festival. It seems he went to high school with the festival organizer. It was all about connection. Saturday night's features were _Casablanca, Singin' In The Rain_, and _The Great Escape._ Being the big movie buff that I am, I loved all three. You can never go wrong with a love drama, a musical comedy, and an action adventure. I was surprised that Wally would be willing to sit through two chick flicks before Steve McQueen. He did not seem the type.

"I'm a huge Bogart fan," Wally said as we waited in line at the movie theatre. "I've seen all his movies but this one."

"You haven't seen _Casablanca_? Having you been living in a cave all this time?"

"No. Just saving the world. I've been meaning to see it, but between super heroics and parenting, I haven't had much time for anything."

"Welcome to parenthood. Your whole life surrounds your kids."

"But tonight we can forget that back at the Watchtower we have children staying up late waiting for us to get home."

"Maybe you can introduce me to Charlie at last. I haven't gotten to meet him yet."

"And you still need to meet Iris."

"Whose Iris?"

"My aunt. She was married to the Flash before me: Barry Allen." Before I could ask where Barry Allen was now, it was our turn to go into the theatre.

I do not think that I have ever spent an evening better than this. Watching some of my favorite movies with a guy who enjoyed them just as much. During _Casablanca_, he put this arm around my shoulder. He laughed with me with _Singin' In The Rain_. We cheered with everyone else as Steve McQueen sped away from the Nazis in _The Great Escape._

By the time we got out of the theatre it was one o'clock in the morning and everything in Central City was closed with the exception for the nightclubs and the odd diner. Instead of calling the Watchtower to be beamed back, we began walking down the street talking.

"So Rocky Horror Picture Show at Halloween?" Wally asked.

"Only if you dress in drag."

"Me? The fastest man alive in drag?"

"Ah huh. And gawdy make-up with fishnets too."

"Geez, I'm gonna look like Black Canary meets _Some Like It Hot_."

I threw my head back and laughed. "Those are the breaks."

"And what about you. Magenta or Columbia?"

"I might be Magenta just to drive you wild."

We laughed and smiled at the prospect of Wally in Frank drag and me in Magenta domestic garb. But soon we came to a topic that had been bothering me all night.

"Wally," I said.

"Yeah?"

"Where's Barry Allen now?"

Wally hung his head. "He died during The Crisis."

"The Crisis?"

"Don't ask. You really don't want to know. All I'll say is that a lot of good people died, Barry among them."

"I'm sorry that I asked," I said gently.

"It helps me to talk about it. I used to talk about it with Linda, but…" He got quiet. We just kept walking. I did not realize that my hand had slid into his. He squeezed it before he started talking. "She knew she had cancer. She never told me. Chemo wouldn't have done much good. She was in the advanced stages before Charlie was born. All I could do was watch her die. It's not fair. It's not fair."

"It never is," I replied in a low voice. "Life certainly hasn't been fair to me."

Without another moment of hesitation, I launched head long into the story of my abusive marriage and messy divorce. At the end of my story, Wally simply shook his head.

"And I thought that being a superhero was a difficult life. I had no idea that you were treated in that way."

"I can't let the past get me down. If anything good came out of such a crappy marriage, it would be my kids and making me a little bit wiser."

"If I ever meet this Mike character, I'm gonna kill him."

"Get in line. I think that Dick has first dibs."

"What about you? Don't you wanna kill him?"

"Five years ago maybe, but I did a lot of reading while I was pregnant and it taught me something. Hate is not conquered by hate: hate is conquered by love. This is a law eternal."

"How Buddhist of you."

"Yeah. If I put any stock in religion, I would think Buddhism would be the one for me. It very relaxed and guiltless." I covered my mouth to yawn. "Excuse me."

"We better get back to the Watchtower." He snaked his arm around my shoulders as we headed for the nearest transport site.

* * *

"Still wanna meet my boy and aunt?" Wally asked as we walked by his quarters. 

"Sure."

He punched in his key code before I was done blinking. The door open and he showed me in. For a widower, Wally's quarters seemed to be like a bachelor pad. Posters of women in bikinis and rock group were plastered all over the place. A big screen TV took up one wall and a large stereo system was in the corner next to a mini fringe. I suppose that Wally came up here when he and Linda had fights or this was where he could pretend that he was not married.

On the couch was a woman reading a book. Her brown hair was going gray, but her brown eyes still had a youthful sparkle. This must be Wally's aunt Iris Allen.

"Wally. I didn't think I would see you until morning," she said marking her place in the book.

"Very funny. Iris I want you to meet Amelia Jones. Amelia this is my aunt Iris Allen."

"Allow me to offer my condolences," Iris said.

"Why?" I asked.

"You went on a date with Wally."

I chuckled while Wally snorted. "I'll go get Charlie," he mumbled.

"I was teasing about Wally," Iris said as I sat next to her. "Wally's a good man. Barry would have been so proud of him."

"Wally told me about what happened. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It happened along time ago."

"But the hurt hasn't gone has it?"

"No. But I let myself remember the good times and the good times only. Which is what you should do, if you're going to date a Flash."

I smiled as Wally came back with Charlie in his arms. Charlie was fast asleep against his dad's shoulder. Wally sat next to me had handed me Charlie. The baby shifted at being disturbed, but he quickly resettled.

Charlie West was a handsome little guy. He had his daddy's red hair and was already sporting some teeny tiny freckles on his little nose. He looked a lot like his dad, but I knew there was something of his mother in him. He opened his eyes a little. They were brown. Probably his mom's.

"Hey buddy," I said. "My name's Amelia. I hope you don't mind me dating your daddy."

Charlie sneezed.

"When your awake," I continued. "I'll take you to meet my babies. But you better go back to bed, little man."

Charlie seemed to agree as he dozed off in my arms.


	9. Chapter 9

"You mean he hasn't kissed you yet?" Shayera asked as I sipped my coffee.

It was another manic Monday at the Watchtower and I was having a cup of coffee with the girls before I actually had to go to the shop and work. Shayera was a part of this group as were Black Canary and Iris Allen. Sometimes Huntress and Zatanna joined us. Today's topic was my relationship with Wally, which was only two weeks old.

"That's what I said," I answered.

"That sounds so unlike Wally. I remember when he was flirting with every girl he set his eyes on."

"That was before he married Linda," Iris said. "You know how hard her death hit him." She looked over at me. "Give him some time Amelia. He'll come around. But I've got to say that I haven't seen him smile the way he does in a long time."

"Thanks Iris," I replied with a smile. "So Canary, level with me. Is it true that Green Arrow started a pool about when Wally is going to kiss me?"

"You know how Arrow is," Black Canary said with a shrug. "He was also running a pool about when Wally would ask you out."

"Who won?"

"The Atom I believe."

"That little eavesdropper. So what's next? A pool on when Wally's going to pop the question?" I smirked. "If he really wants to run a pool, how about when Batman is final going to ask Wonder Woman out on a date."

"Please don't give him any ideas," Black Canary chuckled.

"Morning ladies," Wally said as he raced to our table.

"Morning," we all said.

"I hate to break this up, but we kind of need Amelia and Shayera for a briefing."

"Say no more," Shayera said getting up.

"Sometime tomorrow ladies?" I asked.

With the affirmatives of all present I followed Wally to the Manic Monday Meeting.

* * *

"Who is she?" a man said as I walked into the meeting with Shayera and Wally. I recognized him as the Secretary General of the United Nations from press conferences. "I was under the impression that only key members of the Justice League would be present."

"Amelia Jones is a key member," Superman replied. "Amelia handles all mechanical and maintenance situations. She is our resident expert on other matters."

Whoa! When did I get a promotion?

"We can assure you of her trustworthiness," Wonder Woman said showing the Secretary General to a seat.

"Very well," The Secretary said. "But I have to be sure. The matter which I am here about is exceptional delicate."

"Of course sir."

As well all took our seats I wondered why I was here. What did I have to do with a delicate matter of the U.N.? Should Green Arrow or Atom not be here instead of me? Why was I singled out?

"My friends," The Secretary said. "As some of you know there have been a series of attacks on metahumans around the world…"

"Not just metahumans," J'onn said. "There have been attacks on metagene carriers as well."

"You are certain."

"Ask Amelia," Wally chimed in. "She was the target of an attack not long ago."

"Miss Jones?"

I shrugged at the memory. "It's true. A militant named Paul Herman shot up the restaurant where he had taken me out to dinner."

"As I was saying," The Secretary continued. "Due to these attacks, the U.N. has set up a fund to raise money to help displaced metahuman families around the world. On Friday there is a charity event for the fund and we fear an attack from whoever is behind these attacks on metahumans. The U.N. has decided to ask the Justice League to be at the event in the instance there is an attack."

We all looked at each other before we turned to our fearless leader Superman. "Of course we'll help, sir."

"Thank you my friends. Now if you will excuse me there is meeting of the Security Council in less than an hour."

When The Secretary General left, I got up as well.

"Where are you going?" Superman asked me.

"To my shop. I have no idea why you wanted me to sit in on this meeting, but this is way out my league."

"But there's something we need you to do for this assignment."

"Which would be...?"

"The team will be going undercover in their civilian identities. Is it possible for you to whip up some equipment for the team?"

"What? Why do you people need anymore toys that you're just going to break?"

Superman did his best to give me the icy Bat-stare. It did not scare me, because I have seen the real Bat-stare and that is terrifying. But I knew that I had gone too far. "Sure," I said. "Just give me a team list and some jewelry and I'll see what I can come with. Can I go now?"

Superman nodded and I finally left.

* * *

"Amelia Jones?" someone called as I was tightening up one of _The Javelin_s' landing gears.

"Yo!" I replied, but as I turned around there was no one there. I frowned and went back to work.

"Amelia!" that someone called again. Again I turned around and there was no one there.

"Okay, who's the wise guy?" I snarled as griped by wrench tightly.

"Me!"

There was a pop and there stood The Atom, the Mighty Mite dressed in his red and blue spandex pajamas.

"Do you enjoy giving me a headache?" I asked. "After all you're supposed to be a doctor of physics, Ray."

Ray Palmer aka The Atom smiled and handed me piece of paper. Ray was all right in my book. We had become friends after his wife filed for divorce. He had come to me for help getting through it since I was the only one in the Watchtower who had been divorced, that I know of. "Superman asked me to bring you this list and to give you a hand."

"Great. Let's have a look. Batman, Wonder Woman…no surprise there. They would have probably gone anyway, with Bruce being a philanthropist that he is and Diana being an ambassador. Superman. Flash. Green Lantern. Shayera. The Atom. Black Canary. Green Arrow. The Question. That'll mean Huntress will be there too. Zatanna and…what the hell! Ray why am I on this list?"

"I don't know. But if Batman wants you on the list there's probably a reason."

"Batman put me on this list?"

"Just as I was walking out the door to come here."

"I shouldn't be going. A charity event is not my style at all. That's like…like playing dress up."

"And the League wears tights just for kicks? Like I said Batman has his reasons."

"I could kill him right now."

"He could kill you with a look."

I chuckled. "Okay Ray, let's get to work.

* * *

My mission should I chose to accept it, is to track down Batman and ask him why I was going to a charity ball. Getting anything out of Batman was an impossible mission, but worth the effort. Finding him, however, was an entirely different matter. That was another impossible mission. I tried the easy way first. The Justice League com-link.

"Batman," I said tapping into the system.

"What?" was his sharp reply.

"Jesus, what's with the attitude? It's me Amelia."

"I'm busy."

"What and I'm not. I only called because I have a question. Why in the name of all that is Holy am I going on this charity event mission?"

"Because we needed another body for the team."

"So send Booster Gold. It's more his pace."

"I want you."

"Why?"

There was a silence. It was not a communications sever. Batman was either thinking or ignoring me. He knew better than to ignore me, so I think he was thinking.

"Because…" He sighed. "Because I trust you. You've got a good set of eyes and you read people differently than the League."

"So basically you want me because of my uncanny spider-sense."

"Basically."

"Okay. That's Bats. Oh and one more thing."

"Yeah?"

"Where do I go to get a dress?"

* * *

At Batman's suggestion, I went Francois' in Gotham. Not being the world's best shopper, I took Shayera and my daughter with me. The girls that worked in the store were upon us like a pack of wolves. Since they worked on commission, they had ever reason to invade my personal bubble. Then I said the immortal words "I'm just browsing." It worked like garlic with vampires as they backed off.

"Mommy, why are we here?" Heather asked as we passed by manikins.

"Because Mommy needs a new dress."

"Do I get a new dress too?"

"Maybe next time. But that doesn't mean you can't try on a few dresses while we're here."

She smiled as she took Shayera and me by the hands and dragged us forward.

"So what exactly are we looking for?" Shayera asked as she searched through the racks.

"Something simple, elegant, and black," I said as I searched through my own rack. "Why are all these dresses so expensive?" I muttered to myself. "Normal people can't afford these things."

"What about this one?" Shayera asked holding out a dress.

It was black, simple, and elegant. All my requirements were met and as an extra bonus it had long sleeves so that no one would see my little collection of scars. Hitching my purse back up on my shoulder, I reached out and felt the fabric. Velvet. Now for the next test: the price tag.

"Holy Mother of God," I said as I looked at the price tag. "Shayera, I don't have this kind of money."

"Would it kill you to try it on?"

"No."

"Then go," she said giving me the dress and pushing me toward the dressing rooms.

"If you're blue and you don't know where to go, why don't you go to where fashion sits? Puttin' on the Ritz," I sang as I put on the dress. "Different types who wear a day coat with stripes…"

"Hey Shayera, Heather," A familiar voice said outside the dressing room.

"Uncle Bruce!" Heather cried.

Bruce Wayne aka Batman was here? Oy!

"Hey there. Oh! You're getting so big. Where's your mom?"

"Mommy is putting on a dress. Mommy can we see your dress now?" Heather asked.

The moment of truth. With a deep breath, I opened the stall door and stepped out.

* * *

_Why am I here?_ I asked myself as I descended the stairs of the hotel in New York City, where the event was being held. _Why am I here amongst these surgical enhanced socialites that have had so much work done that they cannot express emotions anymore?_ There was a giant mirror on over the stairs. I looked up at myself on the stairs. There I was in a long black velvet dress with long sleeves. My hair was up in so much hairspray and bobby pins that I felt like a papier-mâché volcano in an elementary school science fair. Around my neck was a string of pearls and on my feet were strappy sandal high heels. Yep. It was official. I was no longer human. I had become a Barbie doll.

At the bottom of the stairs, Bruce and Wally were waiting for me in their obligatory black tuxedos. Wally seemed awed by my appearance on the scene. He reached out and took my hand, tucking it in the crook of his arm.

"I feel so ridiculous," I said between my teeth.

"What are you talking about?" Wally asked. "You're gorgeous. I'm going beating guys up to keep them away from you."

"I wouldn't worry about that. I brought my secret weapon."

"What's that?"

"Pictures of my kids. Oh Bruce. I want to thank you for the dress and the pearls."

"Don't worry about it Amelia. I will ask for one dance tonight if Wally doesn't mind."

Wally shrugged. "Not a problem, but I get the first dance."

I smiled as Wally led me out onto the dance floor. With his hand around my waist, Wally danced me around to a slow shuffle dance song. I could not believe I was actually having fun at a stuck up snob convention.

"You really do look good," Wally said as we danced. "I had to do a double take to make sure it was you."

"Flatterer. I never thought I would see you in a tux."

"I feel like a monkey in a suit."

"No. You look very ha…"

"I look very what?"

I stopped dancing as I saw a terrifying site come down the stairs. There on the stairs was my ex-husband actor Mike Waters. He had not changed much in five years. His hair was still blond, his eyes were still blue and he did not seem as handsome to me as he did when we first met. I did not expect to see him at a U.N. charity event. Then again what was I doing at a U.N. charity event? I quickly turned around and hoped and prayed that he would not see me.

"What's wrong?" Wally asked.

"My ex. He just showed up."

Wally turned around and looked toward the stairs. "The blond pretty boy?" I nodded. He clenched his fists and started for the stairs. I grabbed Wally's arm and held him back.

"Don't Wally."

"Amelia…"

"No. We're not here to pick fights with ex-husbands. We're here to keep the delegates safe in case of an attack. Let's try keep our focus on the reason why we're here and ignore him."

"Okay. But only for now."

My hopes of avoiding Mike for the evening were dashed as I sat out on the terrace to give my poor feet a rest. He came up to me and looked down at me.

"I was surprised to see you here," he said. "This was never your scene."

"I changed. What are you doing here?"

"You know I never miss a good party."

"And a U.N. charity event is a good party?"

"Of course it is. So what brings you here?"

"A few friends of mine have connections to certain charities and so they invited me along."

"Amelia," Bruce said coming out to the terrace with his cell phone. He handed it to me. "Heather and Timmy want to say good-night."

"Thanks Bruce. Hello?"

"Mommy," Heather said on the other side. "When are you coming home?"

"Soon honey. Are you two being good for Uncle J'onn?"

"Yes," the twins said together.

"Mommy can we stay up until you get home?" Timmy asked.

"No. You'll go to bed at bedtime. Tell you what. I'll come give you two a kiss when I get home, okay?"

"Okay. Good night Mommy," they said together.

"Good night. I love you."

I hung up the phone and gave it back to Bruce. "Missing Mom?" Bruce asked putting his phone in his jacket pocket.

"Yeah. Oh Bruce have you met Mike yet?"

"No."

"Well then. Bruce allow me to introduce you to Michael Waters, my ex-husband. Mike, this is my friend Bruce Wayne."

"You're friends with Bruce Wayne now?" Mike asked.

"She's more like family," Bruce said almost dropping into his Batman voice.

"And who are Heather and Timmy?"

"They would be my children," I replied.

"Children? Mine?"

"Well I was pregnant when I divorced you."

"I'd like to see them."

My eyes narrowed. "If I remember correctly, part of the divorce settlement was you giving up your parental rights. If and when they want to see you, they can look you up when they're eighteen."

"But…"

"I think you heard her," Green Lantern's booming voice said from behind Mike.

Mike turned around and was face-to-face with John "Green Lantern" Stewart in a tux. It would almost be amusing if it were not for the fact that his ring hand was clenched. He was ready to punch Mike's teeth out of his head. And so was Wally, who was next to John. His cheerful smiling face had become stone faced serious. He came over to me and stood in front of me with his hand in mine.

"You're boyfriend?" Mike asked me.

"Yes."

"A piece of advice," Mike said to Wally. "Watch your step. She's a snake in the grass."

"I wouldn't be talking if I were you," Wally answered tightly. "If I were you, I would watch my step very carefully. _**Very**_ carefully."

Mike's eyes widened as he looked into Wally's cold green eyes. What was that in Mike's eyes? Surprise? Skepticism? Or fear? Wally's sudden personality change was a shock not only to me but to John and Bruce as well. Wally was going Batman on me. Mike collected himself and left the terrace. Me however collapsed back onto the bench.

"Thanks guys," I said letting out a relieved sigh.

"Anytime," John said crossing his arms across his barreled chest.

"How'd you know I was in trouble?"

"Those new com-links you made work like a charm," John answered tapping his com-link cuff link. The feedback pierced my ears as it did Bruce and Wally's. We covered our ears and grimaced.

"Hey what's the big idea?" Green Arrow's voice asked coming over the com.

"Who did that?" Zatanna asked joining the conversation.

"I knew these new coms were a way to mess with our heads," The Question stated.

"Calm down," I said patching in. "The new coms don't mess with your heads and as GL has demonstrated, they are very sensitive. So unless you want to blow out your ear drums, be careful!"

"Geez. What's her problem?" Green Arrow asked.

"Her ex showed up," Bruce answered. "I've got a bad feeling about him. Be on the look-out."

"Yessir!" Green Arrow responded in a mocking tone and probably a mocking salute.

"This frequency is not for personal business," Superman's voice said and all conversations stopped.

* * *

"Well all things considered," Wally said as he walked me to my quarters. He had reverted back to his good-natured self. His bow tie was untied and hanging around his neck. His shirtsleeves were unbuttoned as were the top buttons of his shirt. Around my shoulders was his jacket. "Even with your ex-husband showing up, tonight wasn't so bad. Nobody tried to attack the event."

"I guess it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," I replied. "Though my hair will have a slightly different opinion when I try to wash all this hairspray."

"Hey," Wally said as we reached my door. He took both my hands. "You okay? Do you want me to stay over tonight?"

"Wally. It's not like Mike knows where I am."

"I know. But do you want me to stay? It would be no trouble for Charlie and me to stay with you and twins."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Okay, but you're sleeping on the couch."

Gee…my…favorite…place," Wally said speeding away and returning with a sleeping Charlie and a duffle bag.

While Wally set up camp in my living room, I took a shower. It felt so good to wash off the make-up, the hairspray, the gel, and the perfume. It was wonderful to take off the mask and become myself again. After a shower and changing into my pajama bottoms, tank top, and fuzzy slippers, I went to my twins' room and gave them their promised goodnight kiss and re-tucked them in. As I looked at them, I worried. Mike had said he wanted to see them. What if…?

"Amelia," Wally said as I came out of the twins' room. "What's up?"

"I'm worried that Mike might try to take my kids away."

Wally shook his head and came to me. He wrapped his arms around me. "You listen to me," he said. "Do you think any of us would allow that to happen? Bruce would hire the best lawyers in the world to make your case. You have the entire Justice League for character witnesses. Not to mention that Mike has signed away his rights. He can't take them away from you, not ever."

"But Wally…"

"No, no. Don't worry yourself about Mike. He is in the past. This is now. You've got the twins. You've got the League. You've got Charlie. You've got me."

I smiled. "Have I told you how much I love you right now?"

"No. But I haven't done a good job showing you how much I love you."

"Wally…"

"No more talking," he said leaning down and forward. He pulled me closer and up. My eyes closed as our lips touched ever so slightly.

Little sparks of electricity left his lips and jumped into mine. Those sparks traveled up and down my spine filling me with warmth. My arms snaked up his arms, to his shoulders before finally wrapping around his neck as he lifted me off the ground. Everything about this kiss felt so right, he was so right. He was mending a heart that had been broken and crudely put back together. He and all the love he had to offer sealed all the tiny cracks. He slowly took his lips away from mine and the sparks jumped again.

"Is that going to happen every time I kiss you?" I asked.

"I am the living avatar of the Speed Force. Does this mean I still have to sleep on the couch?"

I smiled. "It would be nice to sleep with someone next to me again, but no funny stuff okay?"

"Ixnay Unny-Fray. Besides I'm tired. Downside of a hyperactive metabolism."

"I'll bet. I better make up a place for Charlie to sleep."

"Took care of it. I brought his crib in while you were in the shower."

He led me to my room where I found Charlie fast asleep in his crib, which had been tucked up against a wall. "Well," I said. "I guess all that's left is for Mom and Dad got go to sleep."

"Here, here."

As I climbed into bed, I could not help but wonder how long this picture of domestic tranquility would last. Were Wally and I meant to be together? He snaked his arm around my waist and pulled he closer to him as he drifted off to sleep. _Maybe this could last_ I thought_. Maybe this could work. Maybe._ And for the first time in five years, I went to sleep feeling complete.

* * *

_My dear Readers,_

_The time has come for me to write an ending for Amelia and I thought that you all should have a say. You will help decide if:_

_1. Amelia and Wally get married._

_2. Amelia and Wally remain girlfriend/boyfriend and live together with their kids._

_3. I kill one of them off._

_Personally I am not inclined to option three, but one never knows what course will be taken during a 1 a.m. writing fit. You vote, you decide._

_Happy Halloween!_

_Summer Skye._


	10. Chapter 10

Wally coming to stay the night became a regular occurrence as our relationship developed. The twins eventually accepted the fact that Wally was going to be a regular part of their lives and they took to him like glue to paper. Timmy had found a father figure that was more than willing to play with him and his action figures or give the occasional pig-back ride. Heather had Wally wrapped around her little finger. She conned him into playing dress-up and having tea parties with her dolls. As for me, well I was happy to have a partner in life again.

"I think that it is time that we all go back to our day-to-day lives," Green Lantern said at the Manic Monday Meeting. "The threat of attacks has gone down and everyone is getting antsy."

"Especially the kids up here," I said. "My two anyway."

"Spread the word everyone can go home when they want," Superman said.

Home? What was that? Since my evacuation to the Watchtower, Granny had to give up my apartment and so now I was once again homeless. Sometimes it felt like I was still in the circus. Lately all I seemed to do is pack up and move. It was time to search for a new apartment.

"Next on the agenda," Superman said moving right along. "Construction of Moon Base. How's it coming Amelia?"

"Good. The foundations have been laid and the lower levels dug. One of the teams struck pockets of ice below the surface. Upon inspection, Batman and I have decided it would behoove us to build an underground deep-sea pool. Not only would it be useful to the League so they can train for under seas missions, but it would give Aquaman a place to swim about."

"You propose to melt the ice?" J'onn asked.

"Why not? The water is a ready source. We could use it for drinking, energy, and as a coolant."

"Have teams monitor the ice at all times. I don't want any surprises when we do melt that thing," Superman replied. "Is that all?" No one answered. "Meeting adjourned."

"So what are you going to do?" Wally asked as he chopped the vegetables for dinner.

"About what?"

"Where you're going to live back on Earth?"

"I don't know," I answered picking up a piece of carrot and popping it in my mouth.

"You and the twins could come stay with me and Charlie until you find a place."

"Is that really a good idea?"

"I think it is. Charlie and I practically live in your quarters now. Would it be much different for the three of you to live at my apartment? There's a school nearby for the twins come September."

I chuckled. "How long did it take you to come up with all those arguments for me to move with you?"

"About two seconds."

With a smile, I kissed him. "Always thinking at the speed of light. Okay. We can start moving my stuff in tomorrow."

We told the kids the plan over dinner. They seemed to be okay with the idea, but they were more interested in the school close to where Wally lived as the milked him for information.

"Did you go to school there?" Timmy asked.

"No. I went school in a place called Blue Valley," Wally answered.

"Where's that?"

"Nebraska."

"Where's Nebraska?"

"That's what you're going to school for. You'll learn about all the states."

"Are there any other kids there?" Heather asked as she reached for the saltshaker.

"Hundreds."

"Heather," I said. "What do we say when we want something at the table?"

"May I please have the salt?" Heather asked.

As I was about to pick up the salt, it shot across the table and to Heather's hand. She stared wide-eyed at the shaker in her hand. Wally and I had had sat the twins down early on and explained to them that they had superpowers, but we did not know what they were. She put the salt down and got out of her chair crying. She ran to me. I pulled her into my lap and held her close.

"I didn't mean to," Heather sobbed.

"It's okay honey," I said. "Your powers are showing up."

"Don't be such a baby Heather," Timmy said pointing at her with his spoon.

"I am not a baby," Heather shot back at her brother.

"Are too!"

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

Heather glared at Timmy. The spoon in his hand suddenly bent in half. "Are not!"

Timmy's eyes narrowed. He lifted his hand and a bright light shot out from his fingers. It hit Heather. The force knocked me backwards out of my chair. Heather did not fall with me. She was hovering above the table. She pulled Timmy's chair out from under him. Timmy jumped and was now hovering as well. He shot another blast. Heather ducked and it came directly at me. A blur came and scooped me up. Wally with Charlie in his arms got me out of the line of fire.

"I'll take Timmy if you get Heather," Wally said putting Charlie safely on the couch. I nodded.

Using the couch as a vaulting platform, I sprung up and grabbed Heather. Wally sped up behind Timmy and snatched him. Heather squirmed as she tried to get free of my grip. She growled as she used her newfound powers to pick up several small objects and throw them across the room.

"We need back up!" I called to Wally as I struggled to hold on to Heather.

"No kidding!" Wally shouted back.

Timmy shot more bright blasts at his sister. Suddenly another light appeared and encircled the twins. "THAT IS ENOUGH!" someone bellowed.

The twins were frozen in place, which allowed Wally and me to let go. I looked to the door and to my relief I saw Dr. Fate at my door.

"Good timing Fate," Wally said.

Dr. Fate floated into my quarters in his gold cape and helmet and blue spandex suit. If J'onn was Obi Wan-Kenobi in the Justice League, Dr. Fate was Yoda. "I sensed a disturbance. Someone has been using magic."

Wally and I looked at each other confused. Dr. Fate stepped between us and toward the children. He removed whatever spell he put them under and they forgot they had been fight seconds before as they held each other in fear.

"Miss Jones," Dr. Fate said. I had only been around Dr. Fate a couple of time and he kept calling Miss Jones instead of Amelia. "These are your children?"

"Yeah."

"I see." He kneeled down in front of them. "Hello," he replied with a strange pleasantness in his voice. The echo of his voice inside his helmet, which totally freaked out the twins as they ran to me and hugged my legs.

"Mommy can we go to our room?" Heather begged.

"Please!" Timmy pleaded.

"Good idea," I said prying them off of my legs. "And you can stay there until I'm ready for you to come out. March!"

The twins practically dashed to their room.

"They were afraid of me," Dr. Fate commented.

"They're five-years-old," I said sitting on the couch next to Charlie. "With your helmet on, you are kind of spooky, not Batman spooky, but still spooky." I pulled Charlie into my lap as Wally sat next to me. "Maybe they shouldn't go to school," I said with a sigh.

"They need to go to school," Wally replied.

"They can't control their powers. Think about Heather picking up blocks with her mind and throwing them when some little boy pulls her hair or takes her doll."

"How long before they start school?" Dr. Fate asked.

"It's July now, about two months. Why?"

"I sensed an aura around your son. The boy was born to be a sorcerer. With your permission Miss Jones, I would like to take him for those two months and teach him some degree of control before he starts school."

Take my boy? Was I completely insane? No way in hell was I going to let anybody take him away from me. But he had to learn how to use his newfound powers and I could not think of anybody better than Dr. Fate to teach him.

"Fate could you give us a minute," Wally said. "This is something we need to talk about."

"Of course. I will await you decision. But keep in mind that the longer you delay, the harder it will be for both of your children to learn control and they must learn control for everyone's sake."

"Both my children?" I asked.

"Your daughter has extraordinary mental abilities. I imagine that she will learn about her fledgling telepathic abilities sooner or later."

Without a further word, Dr. Fate left my quarters via his ankh shaped portal. I leaned back on the couch. Charlie had fallen asleep on my chest. "I'm losing my kids," I said to Wally.

"You are not losing your kids," Wally replied.

"What Fate is proposing will send on of my kids to a tower and the other God knows where. They're only five Wally. Only five."

"I know," he whispered taking my hand and scooting closer to me. "But they need to learn this and unfortunately it's just something that we can't teach them."

Wally was right. He and I were under qualified to teach them what they needed to learn. For them to learn, I would have to be without them for a while. Despite my tears, I managed to smile. "I'm going to end up with a sorcerer and a Jedi for children."

Wally smiled and kissed my hand, then my forehead. "We'll be okay," he said. "They'll only be away for two months."

"I think that I can do two months," I replied trying to smile again.

"Mommy," Heather said from a crack in twins' bedroom door. "Can we come out now?"

"Sure," I said my voice said cracking.

The twins came running out and jumped onto the couch. Heather climbed into Wally's lap and Timmy tuck himself under my arm. "Why are you crying Mommy?" Timmy asked.

I wiped my eyes with my sleeve. "Well Mommy has had to make a very tough choice. Timmy. Dr. Fate has offered to let you go live with him to learn how to use your powers."

"I have to go away?"

"Only for a little while. You'll come home right before school starts."

"Why do I have to go? Don't you love me anymore?" Tears flowed from his eyes.

"Oh sweetie," I said pulling him close. "Of course I still love you and Wally loves you too, but…" I bit my lip to keep myself from crying. "It's part of growing up."

"I don't want to go!" Timmy cried.

"I know. I know. We don't want you to go either."

There was knock at the door. Wally transplanted Heather to the couch as he got up to answer. J'onn was at the door with another man dressed in black. He had sandy colored hair and blue eyes.

"I understand that the children's powers have made an appearance," J'onn said. "Heather would you come here please?"

Heather got off the couch and ran to her Martian uncle. He knelt down and put his hands on my little girl's shoulders. His big red eyes glowed as he tapped into his Martian mind powers. After a moment, his eyes returned to normal and he rose.

"You are quite right, Fate," he said. "She's has a telepathic ability that is going unchecked."

"That means I'm going away too!" Heather cried as she ran back to me.

"I take it you told them," the plain clothes Dr. Fate said walking over to us. He seated himself in the chair next to the couch. Wally returned to his place on the couch, while J'onn chose to be seated in a hover nearby.

"I think they would have noticed that I'm not around," I replied.

"And have you and Wallace made a decision?"

I looked at Wally. He nodded. "They need to be taught," I said.

Dr. Fate reached out and touched my knee. "You have my word that Timothy will be well taken care of."

"And you know that I would never let any harm come to Heather," J'onn said.

"I know, but that doesn't make things easier," I said.

"Mommy do we really have to go?" Heather asked.

"Yes honey, you do," I said. Wally took Charlie off my chest as I got up. Heather and Timmy got up with me and followed me to their room.

"What do you want to take with you?" I asked them.

"We're leaving now?" Timmy asked.

"No, but I would imagine that you'll leave tomorrow morning," I answered looking at J'onn and Dr. Fate. They both nodded. "So that means that we have to pack tonight. So why don't you two get started and Mommy and Wally will be in to help you in a minute 'kay."

The twins nodded and got started. I went back to the living room just as Wally was leaving to put Charlie to bed in our room. I went to Dr. Fate and J'onn.

"Heather likes to have her hair braided at night. She likes to wear her pink pj's, but she'll wear the purple if the pinks are in the laundry. Be sure to read to her. She's allergic to cats and make sure that she eats all of her vegetables at dinner."

"Amelia," J'onn said. "I am not unfamiliar with Heather's likes and dislikes."

"Well it makes me feel better. As for Timmy, he's afraid of the dark, so he'll ask you to check under the bed and in the closet for monsters. He likes to take bubble baths before bed and he wears either his space pj's or cowboys. He won't go to bed unless someone reads to him. Make sure that the crust is trimmed off his sandwiches and that eats a piece of fruit everyday."

"You have my assures," Dr. Fate said. "Inza and I will be here tomorrow morning to collect Timothy."

I nodded as J'onn and Dr. Fate left my quarters. Wally and I turned toward the twins' room to help them finish packing.

The next morning after breakfast, I was forced to say good-bye to my son and daughter. I knew that I would see them again, but that did not make saying good-bye any easier for anyone. Charlie seemed to know that the twins were leaving. He would not eat his breakfast and he fussed from the moment he got up. Heather and Timmy barely touched their cereal and Wally, who could normally eat a huge stack of my pancakes in one minute flat, did not eat a thing. I did not sleep a wink that night, neither of us did. Wally stayed up with me, holding me and being there for me as I brought myself to terms with my decision.

Dr. Fate and Inza came for Timmy just as I was cleaning up the breakfast dishes. My little man tried to put on a brave face for me, but he burst into tears before he reached the door. He ran back to me and cried. I held him until he stopped crying, but by then I was crying too. Eventually he went with them, Dr. Fate carrying his two suitcases and Inza holding his hand. He turned around and waved good-bye to us as he walked down the hall.

When J'onn came for Heather, she reacted much the same way Timmy did. Again I cried while trying to calm my child. She too left with her teacher, but before she did, she gave Charlie her favorite blanket.

"So he won't forget his big sister," she said when she gave it to him. She turned to Wally and gave him a hug and a kiss. "I love you Daddy."

As she walked away with J'onn, I smiled despite how sad I felt. My little girl had accepted Wally as her daddy. Wally put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer. A tear landed on the back of my hand. I looked up and found a few tears trickle down Wally's cheeks.

"We'll be okay," I reminded him. He kissed my hair and held me tighter. It would only be two months. _Two months_.


	11. Chapter 11

_My Dear Readers,_

_Many of you have been concerned that I am ending the story now. This is wholly untrue. I have a few more chapters up my sleeve and I foresee some one-shots and possibly a sequel in the future. I hope that I have laid some fears to rest. I am in the market for a Justice League beta-reader. I am looking for someone who is well versed in the Justice League, Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, Teen Titans and Batman Beyond TV shows. If anyone is interested, please feel free to e-mail me. Be sure to state in the subject that you are interested in being a beta or I will delete your e-mail._

_Best wishes and Happy Holidays,_

_Summer Skye_

* * *

"We need to talk," Batman said coming into my quarters.

"What about?" I asked from the counter pouring my morning coffee. "You learning to knock?"

"I'm serious Amelia."

"Have a seat. Coffee?"

"No."

His tone was sharp and concise. Typical Batman. I went into the living room with my coffee and sat on the couch. Batman stood above me. I looked up into his menacing masked face.

"I understand you and Wally are going to live together," he said.

"We are living together Bruce," I replied looking him square in the eye. "Look Bruce, if you're trying to do the protective big brother "I'm going to break his kneecaps with a baseball bat if he hurts her" thing, please don't bother. Dick has already done it and you know that Wally would never do anything to hurt me."

"It's not Wally I'm worried about. It's the people that will try to get to Wally through you and the kids."

I stared blankly at Batman. Where was he going with this? "Bruce?"

"Come with me," he said sharply. With a swirl of his cape, he left my quarters. I knew better than to argue with him when he used that tone. I put down my coffee and followed him.

* * *

Batman led me to one of the training rooms that the Justice League used to keep in shape. I came in here occasionally to workout, but mostly it was to fix something. Last time Orion nearly launched a dumbbell through the bulkhead. Guess who had to pull the dumbbell out of the bulkhead. I could still see the dent that I could not get out when my team and I tried to fix the bulkhead.

"Take off your shoes and socks," Batman ordered.

"Mind telling me what all this is about?" I asked sitting down on a bench and pulling off my sneakers.

"I'm going to train you," he replied removing his cape.

"I think the position of Batgirl has been filled," I joked. Batman gave me his Bat-stare.

"I'm not kidding Amelia."

"I didn't say you were. But I'd like to know why you're taking it upon yourself to train me?"

Batman looked down. "Believe it or not Wally has enemies. Enemies who wouldn't think twice about hurting you or the kids to get to him. The kids, however, have superpowers and in time will be able to defend themselves with those powers…"

"And expert training in combat from Uncle Bruce," I put in.

"You, however, don't have any special abilities except for your wits. Those can only get you so far without the physical ability to defend yourself. Who better than me to train you?"

I shrugged as I took to the mats.

By the end of the week, I was a walking bruise. Wally was worried when I came home with a black eye, but he agreed with Bruce when I explained Bruce's scheme. So every night, Wally was ready with the first aid kit and an ice pack for when I came home. As time went on, I got better at blocking Batman's punches and kicks, but that does not mean he did not land a few. Okay a lot. He had me spar with other members of the League to get used to fighting people with different heights and weights. I was grateful that none of them used their powers because I would have to go to the infirmary for a month.

When I got home one night, Wally was on the phone with someone. "Sounds great…I'll ask her…Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel?...Right…Did you call Garth and Roy or am I doing that?...Okay. Hey I was thinking…How about we invite Kyle?...Okay. I'll get in touch with him…See you then Dick." He hung up the phone.

"What was that all about?" I asked stripping off my jacket.

"Oh Dick wanted to know if I was available this weekend."

"Something special this weekend?"

"Kinda. It's the anniversary of the founding of the Teen Titans."

"Wow!" I said flopping on the couch.

"Yeah. So Dick, me and some others all head for the place were we founded the Titans for a weekend and talk about the old days."

"You sound like my Grandpa Dave who used to spend every Sunday with some of his old war buddies. They used to send Dick and me on so many guilt trips when we were kids, about how good we had it and we should be grateful for their sacrifice. Ha. If only they could see us now."

Wally chuckled. "Fighting crime on the streets and protecting the Earth from all threats domestic and intergalactic. Anyway. We were thinking of make some changes to the party this year. Dick and I thought that maybe we should invite our girlfriends and/or wives to come along."

"Sounds good to me," I said rolling my neck. "Anything to get away from Batman for a weekend."

"Iris has already agreed to watch Charlie for the weekend," Wally said sitting next to me and rubbing my neck.

"I'll talk to Fate and J'onn tomorrow and let them know about our plans so they can get in touch with us in case something happens to the twins."

"Great. All I've got to do now is to call Kyle and ask him."

Wally reached across me and picked up the phone again.

* * *

So that weekend Wally and I headed for a place called Hatton Corners. It was one of those quiet little coast towns that turned into a tourist town because of its secluded beaches and fresh seafood. Of course, we took the car to Hatton Corners, though we did not necessarily drive it all the way there. On open stretches of road in the middle of nowhere, Wally would get out and push the car with his speed. I meanwhile sat in the driver's seat steering the car and keeping an eye out for traffic cops.

"One of the benefits of having me as a boyfriend," Wally said as we entered Hatton Corners. "You can get anywhere in a fraction of the time and on one tank of gas."

"That's the hotel up there, Twinkletoes," I said. Wally pulled into the valet parking. There were lines of cars waiting to be parked. "Must be a convention in town."

"No. I forgot that there is a swing festival up here this weekend."

"Well why not take part while we're up here. Might be fun." Wally smiled as he handed the keys to a parking attendant.

After we checked in and went to our room, Wally decided to take a nap. Downside of a hyperactive metabolism I guess. While he napped, I changed and decided to explore the hotel and the surrounding area. No sooner did I step off the elevator, Cousin Dick and his girlfriend Barbara Gordon spotted me.

"How are the kids?" Barbara asked after the obligatory how are you's. "Dick told me that they have superpowers."

Barbara had become a good friend to me while I was staying with Dick when I was pregnant. She was there with Dick when I went into labor and stayed with us in the hospital. Shortly after Dick told me he was Nightwing, he told me that Barbara was Batgirl. Like Dick, Barbara was not part of the Justice League, though she was allowed access to the Watchtower when she needed to.

"The kids are good. Timmy is with Dr. Fate right now and Heather is with J'onn."

"Where's Wally?" Dick asked.

"Upstairs sleeping. He pushed us most of the way here."

"Well I might follow his example," Barbara said with a yawn. "We busted up a huge drug ring last night."

Barbara went upstairs to the room she was sharing with Dick leaving Dick and me in the lobby. "Would you mind waiting for Kyle, Roy and Garth with me?"

"Sure. Wally's told me some much about them that I can hardly wait to meet them."

"Dick!"

We turned to see five people come towards us. Two couples and a loner. The loner was a red headed man. He had scruff on his chin. One of the two couples were dressed similar to the Atlanteans that I have met. The man was had brown hair and purple eye, while the woman's hair was pure white. The second couple was a little more familiar. I recognized Kyle Rayner from late night poker games at the Watchtower. The woman with him was probably his girlfriend. She had brown hair and green eyes.

"Amelia, this is Roy Harper, Garth and his wife Dolphin, and Jennifer-Lynn Hayden also known as Arsenal, Tempest, and Jade. Guys, this is my cousin Amelia Jones and Wally's girlfriend."

"It's good to meet you all," I said. "Wally has told me all about you."

"Dick, what's the big idea telling her our secret identities?" Roy "Arsenal" Harper asked silently annoyed.

"He sounds like Ollie," I said to Dick. "Even has his attitude."

"You know…"

"Ollie. Yeah. A royal pain in the butt sometimes, but all right. Now if you want a real crank, Booster Gold is your man. If he isn't the whiniest superhero in the history of ever, I don't who is."

Roy cracked a smile. "He really is. I used to run with Justice League, before I got wise and stopped being a sidekick."

"You must have been with the League before my time."

"You're with the League?" Garth asked.

"She's head of maintenance for the League," Kyle explained. "John is very impressed with your work."

"And my right hook," I said. "I suggest that we all meet up for dinner and talk some more."

"Sounds good to me," Dick said. "Same place as always?"

All the former Titans nodded. They all filed passed us as they went to their respective rooms. "Where are we having dinner?" I asked Dick.

"You'll see."

* * *

We all met again at a small restaurant on the beach called The Titans. Wally explained to me that it was named after the Teen Titans helped the people of Hatton Corners. The Teen Titans had a standing reservation so it was easy to get a table. So there we were, former Titans and their significant others. Although not all present were Titans.

"If the Green Lantern Corp allowed kids to join," Kyle said over dinner. "I would have been a Titan."

"No doubt about that. Kid Green Lantern," Wally said. "It feels so weird. I can't believe how much the Hatton Corners has changed over the years."

"I can't believe we were all that young," Garth chuckled as he sipped his water. "Kid Flash, Robin, Aqualad. Bunch of teenage kids who were sidekicks to some of the world's greatest heroes."

"Those days are over," Dick said grimly. "We've grown up."

"I imagine that the kids will be joining the Titan someday," I replied. "It seems to be a family trend."

"What makes you say that?" Jennifer-Lynn "Jennie" asked.

"Well look at it. Wally's cousin Bart is the current Kid Flash. Bart will probably want his own identity someday and then the mantle of Kid Flash would to Charlie. My kids have superpowers and logic would dictate that in time they want to join some kind of team to fight evil."

"And what will you do if they want to join a team?" Roy asked.

"Not much choice but to let them. They are surrounded by superheroes daily and I know that they are learning from their examples."

"Just think Garth," Dolphin said. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if our son joined the Titans?"

"We'll see," Garth said. "So tell us Amelia. How did you and Wally meet?"

"Well," I replied with a smile. "Wally kinda just landed on my doorstep. Actually it was my fire escape."

"Star Sapphire kayoed me," Wally interjected. "Amelia and her kids found me and got me out of the line of fire. When Amelia came to work for the League, things just seemed to fit."

"Though it took some serious pushing to get you to ask her out," Dick replied with a smirk.

We all had a laugh at Wally's expense, even Wally laughed at his expense. It was fun to be around people my own age. While I could not think of better friends than the Justice League, a vast majority of its members have not been in their twenties for some time. Aside from the League the rest of my time was taken up taking care of my kids. I truly think that Wally and I needed a break from our jobs and our kids. Thank God for aunts and uncles who were willing to watch the kids for a weekend.

* * *

After dinner, we briefly went back to our hotel to change. Tonight was the first night of the festival and we all agreed that we were going to dance the night away. But since Wally and I were not planning on a swing fest, we did not pack the proper attire. However I soon discovered another benefit of being the Flash's girlfriend. Wally raced us back home, where I grabbed a blouse, a pleated skirt and a pair of pumps and Wally grabbed a white button up shirt, pinstripes with suspenders, and his pair of wingtips.

"Are you going to be able to dance in those?" Wally asked as put on my pumps at the hotel.

"I used to do two shows a day with the circus in bigger heels than this. I think I can handle some really hip swingin'."

Wally chuckled. "Well come on Kitten. Them Cats have been waitin' all day for some cool jive, dig?"

"Not really," I replied with a smile.

"Hey all you cool Cats and Kittens," the M.C. announced getting up on the stage. "Are you ready to swing?"

Whistle and cheers came from the crowd.

"At ten o'clock there will be a dance off. Couples will go toe-to-toe to find out who's got the slickest shoes at the Festival. So sign up by ten."

Not caring about the contest, Wally and I hit the dance floor. Wally was not the most graceful dancer, but he could certainly keep a beat. The last time we danced, I have got to say that he was a better dancer. But there is a difference between a shuffling and swinging. Shuffling was just a simple back and forth movement of feet. Swinging, however, there was a lot more twists and turns. Eventually Wally caught on to the concept of swing and soon we were swinging across the dance floor. As we danced, I looked for our friends. Dick and Barbara took a couple of turns on the floor, as did Garth and Dolphin and Kyle and Jennifer. But where was Roy? I spotted him over at the bar nursing a scotch. I shook my head and continued to dance.

"We need to do this more often," I said as Wally and I shuffled to _It's Been A Long, Long Time_.

"Do what?"

"Go dancing."

"Yeah. Maybe we could take dance classes at the community college so that I can learn how to actually dance."

I laughed as the music continued.

When ten o'clock arrived, Wally and I were so engrossed in dancing with each other that we failed to notice that we had inadvertently entered the dance contest. One by one other couples were eliminated. It felt like that one scene in _Grease_. Judges would come around and tap a couple on the shoulder to indicate they were out. Wally and I did not need to worry about being tapped out. We were not there to compete we were just having fun.

Soon it came down to us and one other couple. From the talk, I understood that they were the reigning ten-year champions. Well we'll see about that. For quite a while, we were in a dead heat with the other couple. After a while the judges ended the competition or else we would have been there all night.

"That was fantastic," Garth said as we waited for the final tallies. "I knew it was a good idea to sign them up.

"You did what?" I asked as took off my heels and I rubbed my feet.

"Well," Jennie said. "We were watching you two dance and we thought that you should be in the contest."

"And we didn't tell you because you would not have had as much fun as you were having," Barbara replied.

"Hey Cat and Kittens, the votes are in," the M.C. said stepping up to the mike again. "The winners of this year's dance off are…" He opened the envelope. "Wally West and Amelia Jones!"

Wally and I looked at each other and went up on stage to accept our trophy. After a "victory dance", my feet were hurting and Wally was tired, so we hoofed it back to the hotel.

* * *

"So what did you think about Titans?" Wally asked me as we took a barefooted walk along the beach the morning after a night of dancing.

"It's good to know that there are superheroes out there that are our age. But what's Roy's story? He could give Bruce a run for his money when it comes to being broody."

"Roy's had a lot of problems," Wally replied solemnly. "I don't know when, but he and Ollie had a falling out. Roy kind of went downhill and started doing drugs. I finally had to kick his butt and put him in rehab."

"Poor Roy."

"It was good to see him actually smile. He hasn't done that in a long time."

"Perhaps we should bring our significant others to our gatherings every year." Wally and I turned around and found Garth and Dolphin behind us. "We could not help over hearing your conversation," Garth said.

"Looks like you had the same idea we did," I said.

"We did. Might we join you?"

Wally and I looked at each other and shrugged. The four of us walked along the shoreline together.

"It feels strange," Garth said as we all walked.

"What?" Wally asked.

"That out of the original Titans, you and I are the only one who have settled down and had a family."

"Dick has a commitment issues," I said. "Something he must have picked up from Bruce. I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for him to marry Barbara."

"We've all been waiting," Dolphin said.

"He'll come around," Wally replied. "Sometimes it takes awhile."

"No kidding," I said as Wally slid his arm around my waist. "After my divorce I never thought I could find love again and look at me now, five years later."

Garth and Dolphin smiled. "It is good to see you happy again Wally. After Linda…I worried that you might take the road Roy did."

Wally shook his head. "Never would have happened. I had Charlie to keep me from going on that road and now well I've got three more reasons not to keep me away."

I squeezed his hand around my waist. I had never known how close Wally had come to spiraling downwards after Linda's death. All anybody would ever tell me was that her death hit him very hard. They failed to mention that he almost resorted to artificial stimuli to make the hurt go away. Now I fully understood why Batman had taken it upon himself to train me. If anything were to happen to me, Wally might actually choose the deep dark path and get lost in it. That was not going to happen, not while I was around.

* * *

Our weekend with the Founding Teen Titans drew to a close, but not before I had a little chat with Cousin Dick.

"You want me to do what?" Dick asked as he waited for Barbara in the lobby.

"Ask Barbara to marry you. Dick you love her so much. It's time to get over your commitment phobia."

"Mia…"

"Don't you Mia me. Barbara won't wait forever and she'll move on with her life, a life without you."

I left Dick in the lobby and got into the car. It was time for Wally and me to resume the roles heroes, friends, and most important of all parents.


	12. Chapter 12

August 22. It was my day. No not my birthday. Actually it was, but that was not why I was so happy. It was the day that the twins would be coming home and I could not think of a better birthday present. I could not wait. Neither could Wally. We had both felt the twins' absence and while it had been necessary, it had made us feel incomplete. We were eager to have our whole family back together again. The day before the twins were to come home, the Great Mechanic in the sky threw a monkey wrench into our works.

"I have to go where?" Wally asked at the morning meeting.

"To a planet in Sector 3-0-0-0," J'onn replied. "John has been called there by the Guardians to respond to a distress call and we are sending you and Orion with him."

"J'onn. The twins are coming home tomorrow and…"

"I sympathize Wally, but your speed is required. The planet where the distress call came from has a series of underground caves that must be searched. Who else but you can search them in a timely manner."

Wally looked over at me. I nodded telling him that I understood. He sighed. He was not happy about going into deep space and leaving the kids and me behind.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Wally asked me in the Javelin Bay.

"Wally, I'll be fine. It will only be a couple of days."

Wally smiled and gave me kissed me. "That is for Charlie." He kissed me again. "That is for Heather." He kissed me once again. "This is for Timmy and this is for you." He pulled me closer to him and wrapped his arms around me. His lips were warm and tender as they always were. I was going to miss him. Reluctantly he removed his lips and pulled away. I watched him board _The Javelin_ and take off.

* * *

RING!

I rolled over in bed and tried to go back to sleep. Why did the phone always have to ring in the middle of the night?

RING!

I groaned as I put the pillow over my head and reached for the phone on my nightstand. "Hello," I mumbled.

"OhmyGodAmelia! Yougottagethererightaway!"

I sat up and turned on the light. "Bart?" I asked, not entirely sure it was Wally's cousin.

"Yeah,yeah. YouandWallygottagethere,quick!"

"Bart slow down. I can barely understand you. What's going on?"

"It'sJay. Somethinghappenedandtheywon'ttellmeanything…"

"Bart! Take a deep breath in and out. Now tell me calmly and slowly what is going on."

Bart took a deep breath. "You've got to get to Keystone. Jay is in the hospital. They won't tell me what's going on."

Jay was in the hospital? Okay Amelia, this is no time to panic. Bart was doing that for you anyway. "Okay Bart," I said calmly as I got out of bed. "Which hospital?"

"Keystone General."

"Okay Bart I want you to stay there. I'm on my way."

I hung up the phone and went to the kids' room. Charlie was fast asleep in his crib. The twins' bunk beds were eerily empty. Without startling Charlie, I picked him up and carried him back to my room. I quickly changed and packed some clothes into a backpack. I had a feeling I was going to be there for a while. I grabbed Charlie's diaper bag and threw it and my backpack onto my shoulder. Picking up Charlie, I balanced him on my hip.

"Amelia to Watchtower," I said patching into the com-system.

"Watchtower here," Superman's voice said on the com. "Go ahead Amelia."

"I need an emergency transport for two to Keystone City General Hospital."

"The transporter is not for…"

"Listen to me Boy Scout and listen to me very carefully. If I don't get that transport in the next five seconds, I will come up there and giving you a royal ass kicking. Savvy?"

"Mind telling me what this is about first?"

"How about a panicked call from thirteen-year-old kid about an old friend to the League who is in the hospital? Is that reason enough Clark?"

"Stand by for transport. And how did you figure it out?"

"It doesn't take a genius to picture you with glasses."

"Transport initiating."

A moment later, Charlie and I were standing outside of Keystone City General Hospital. I ran in with Charlie still fast asleep in my arms.

"Jay Garrick?" I asked the receptionist.

She typed in the name. "Room 203."

"Thank you."

The elevator could not come fast enough. I think I must have worn out the button with the number of times I pressed it. Even when I was on the elevator, it was not fast enough. What the hell was taking so long?

When the elevator finally came to a stop on the floor where Jay was, I was greeted by a gust of wind and bright teenage face. Bart Allen was the grandson of Barry and Iris Allen. When he was brought from the 30th century to this century in some kooky time travel thingy that I did not fully understand, Bart began training as a superhero under the guidance of Max Mercury, whom Wally said was the Zen Master of Speed. But when Max disappeared a while back, Bart was sent to live with the original Flash Jay Garrick in Keystone City. He eventually joined the Teen Titans as Kid Flash and I had met him often up in the Watchtower, which the Titans had access to. All around Bart was a good kid, but took after Wally when it came to leaping before looking.

"Bart," I said. "You shouldn't use your speed when you're out of costume."

"I know," Bart said scuffing the floor with his foot. "I'm just so happy somebody is here. Where's Wally?"

"On a deep space mission. He left this morning and isn't due back for a couple of days. How are you doing?"

"I'm okay. This whole thing with Jay really scared me."

"Okay. Why don't we go sit down and you can tell what happened?"

Bart nodded. We sat down in the chairs nearest the nurses' station. Charlie by now was wide-awake and ready for breakfast. Luckily I was prepared. Fishing out his bottle, I had Bart use his hands at superspeed to heat it up while I kept a lookout. Readjusting Charlie in my arms, I gave him his bottle, which he happily began sucking on. He was at a point that we only used bottles at breakfast and even then he would only get a little of his formula. The rest of his breakfast was finger food in the form of dry Cheerios.

"We had stayed up late finishing a project for school that Jay was helping me with," Bart said running his fingers through his brown hair. "Max used to tell me to do my homework at normal speed and Jay wanted to stick with that method. Anyway we both really tired when we finished. Jay thought that it would be okay for us to clean up at superspeed so that we both could get to bed sooner. By the time we got done cleaning, Jay looked kinda pale. He shrugged it off and said he was coming down with something.

My room is next to Jay's and it wasn't long after I went to bed, that something from Jay's room woke me up. At first I thought it might have been a villain that Jay was fighting, but it wasn't. When I opened the door, I saw Jay sitting up in bed holding is left arm. He told me to get him an aspirin and to call 911. I wanted to take to the hospital at superspeed, but Jay wouldn't let me. He said that as soon as we got to the hospital I was supposed to call Wally."

Tears were starting to form in his eyes despite his best efforts not to cry. I put my arm around his shoulders. "You did the right thing Bart," I replied reassuringly. "I know that Wally, Iris, and Jay would be very proud of you right now."

"Bart," a male voice said. We looked up and found that a doctor had come to the waiting room. We stood up. "I'm Dr. Philips, Jay's doctor."

"How's is he?" I asked voicing the question that was on our minds.

"I can't divulge any information to non-family…"

"She is family," Bart said sharply. "She's my cousin Amelia."

I squeezed Bart's shoulder as I looked intently at Dr. Philips. "Now I will ask you again, Doc. How is Jay?"

Dr. Philips cleared his throat. "Jay had a mild heart attack. Luckily, there doesn't seem to be any long term affects to Jay's health. We would like him to stay in the hospital over night, just to be sure."

"Of course. When will we be able to see him?"

"You can see him right now. He's awake, but kept it low key."

We followed Dr. Philips to Jay's recovery room. Dr. Philips quietly knocked on the door and opened it. "Mr. Garrick there are some people here to see you."

Bart pushed his way passed the doctor and went to hug Jay. "Oof. Slow down there sport," Jay said with a smile as he hugged Bart back. I have to say for a man in his late eighties; Jay Garrick did not look a day over fifty. He had brown hair, though it was grey at the temples. His blue eyes sparkled with that kind of easygoing manner.

"So what's the big idea of having a heart attack and getting me up at two o'clock in the morning?" I asked Jay after the doctor left.

"Who's she?" Jay asked Bart.

"That's Wally's girlfriend Amelia," Bart answered. "Wally's on a deep space mission."

"Well it's finally nice to meet you Amelia," Jay said as he shook my hand. "I'm just sorry it's under these circumstances."

"Me too Mr. Garrick."

"Jay."

"Jay. The doctor says that they're keeping you over night."

"Bah. I'll be out of here quicker than that." He started to get up, but I pushed him back down.

"Oh no you don't. You are staying here until the doctor's give you the green light and until then, I'm in charge."

I picked up the phone that was in Jay's room and dialed Iris' number in Central City. After I explained what was going on, she agreed to meet us at the hospital as soon as she could. When I hung up with Iris, I patched through to the Watchtower and asked Dr. Fate and J'onn to mind the twins for a little while longer while I figured out a plan. J'onn said that he would inform Wally as soon as he got back about what happened. As for Bart, I decided it would best to excuse him from school so he could get some rest after what was shaping up to be a very long night. Some birthday, huh.

* * *

The next morning or really later that morning, Dr. Philips discharged Jay from the hospital. Dr. Philips gave me a list of do's and don'ts for Jay and topping the list was overexertion.

"Be sure he takes it easy the next couple of days," Dr. Philips said as he gave me the list.

I simply nodded. Getting a Flash to take it easy was easier said than done, even for an easygoing, sensible one like Jay.

"Is it possible for you to bring him back tomorrow," Dr. Philips said. "I'd like to run some follow up tests."

"Sure. I'll make he's there." That was also going to be easier said than done.

A horn honked and a car pulled up into the underpass. The driver got out of the car. Much to my surprise it was none other than Clark Kent, the middle mannered reporter secret identity of Superman.

"Clark?" I said with a start. "What are you doing here?"

"I figured you would need a lift from the hospital. Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"

"Clark Kent this is Jay Garrick and Bart Allen. Guys this is a friend of mine Clark Kent, he writes for _The Daily Planet_."

"It's good to meet you Mr. Kent," Jay replied shaking Clark's hand. I winced hoping Clark would not break his hand.

"Likewise Mr. Garrick and please call me Clark. Shall we get going Amelia?"

"Yeah. Sure."

"Shotgun!" Bart yelled. Before he could even he could speed into the car, I grabbed his shirt collar and held him back.

"Hold it sport," I said. "If anybody here gets shotgun, it's gonna be Jay."

"Amelia!" Bart protested. "The rules are whoever calls shotgun, gets it."

"Yes, but that rule is superceded in the advent there are persons being discharged from the hospital."

"That's not in the rules."

"They're in the rules I just made up. Backseat," I said scooting him into the backseat of Clark's car.

* * *

Jay's house was a large house in a part of Keystone that was outside the main hub of the city. I saw big yards and houses large enough for big families. I wonder how Wally would feel if we moved out here? It would be a big move for all of us, but it might be a chance for us to start over with our family. When Clark pulled into the driveway, Iris, who apparently hitched a ride to Keystone with Clark, met us.

"I just walking out the door when Clark called," Iris explained as we got out of the car. "He offered to bring me here. Next thing I knew I was in his car being flown to Keystone. I decided that I would wait here and get the house ready while Clark went to pick you up. How are you feeling Jay?"

"A lot better now that I'm out of that hospital," Jay replied as he got out of the car.

"Well come on. Get inside. Wally's going to be fit to be tied when finds out that you had a heart attack while he gone."

"No…kidding," I said with a yawn.

"Bed for you," Iris said taking Charlie from me.

"Iris…"

"Amelia, even supermoms need sleep. I've already made up the bed in the guest room. Go and get some rest."

It was no good arguing with Iris. She was as stubborn as a mule. But she was right. I was tired and a few hours of sack time would brighten me up. Without another word of protest, I padded up the stairs and crawled into a nice warm bed.

* * *

"Why the long face?" Jay asked as I drove him home from the hospital the next morning after his tests, which I was happy to say, were all clear.

"It's nothing," I replied.

"It's Wally and the twin isn't it? Amelia, I know the look of loneliness when I see it."

"I'm just worried that's all. My boyfriend is somewhere in deep space and I haven't seen my children since July."

"I'm sure that they're all fine. They're in the best hands in the galaxy."

"I know," I said pulling into the driveway. "That doesn't mean I'm still not worried. I'm a mother, it's what I do."

"Maybe you won't have to worry after today," Jay said quietly as he got out of the car.

Something funny was going on in the house. The curtains were shut and all the lights were turned off. I knew for a fact that everyone was up, because we had all had breakfast together before I took Jay to the hospital. Clark's car was still parked in the driveway and there was not a reason for them to go anywhere on foot. I turned the knob on the door. It was unlocked. Upon opening the door and switching on the light I was given the shock of my life.

"SURPRISE!"

It seemed like every member of the Justice League had crammed into Jay's house as they popped out from behind couches, chairs, closets and curtains. The living room had been decorated with streamers and balloons. There were mountains of food on the dinner table in a buffet style.

"What is this?" I asked when I regained my composure.

"It's your belated birthday party," Clark explained. "We were planning to have it in the Watchtower, but when you suddenly rushed to Keystone, we re-thought it."

"Mommy!" two very familiar voices cried out.

I turned and found my twins running toward me. I knelt down and scooped them up in my arms. This was the best birthday of my life. My twins were back with me and all of my friends were here to celebrate, but one thing was missing. Wally.

"Come on Mommy," Timmy said. "We want to show you our birthday present."

They dragged me by the hands to the kitchen door and there holding a cake with twenty-five candles on it was Iris.

"Make a wish," she said.

I closed my eyes. _I wish that my children will lead long, happy and healthy lives, that my friends are healthy and that Wally was here to celebrate with me._ I blew out the candles. Before I could open my eyes, a pair of hands covered them.

"Guess who?" Another familiar voice said.

"Wally?" I took the hands from my eyes and turned around. Behind me was Wally wearing his cheeky smile that would not quit. "I thought you were in deep space."

"I was. The mission didn't take as long as we thought and when I heard the Jay had a heart attack, we wasted no time getting home." He put his arms around me. "Besides we all wanted to be home for your birthday."

I smiled and shook my head. "You all didn't have to go through all of this trouble."

"Sure we did," Wally replied. "You work so hard to help everyone. It's time that we returned the favor. So come. Open up you presents."

I sat down on the couch and soon was covered by colorfully wrapped boxes and bundles. The first one I opened was from the kids. It was a blue shirt with the Superman insignia, but instead of a 'S' there was a 'M' on it.

"You're our Supermom," Heather explained.

Everyone laughed as I continued to open presents. From Zatanna I got a book about the greatest illusionists of the world. Much to my surprise, Dad was in it. There was an old picture of Dad and me during one of our performances in the circus. From Ollie and Dinah a motorcycle jacket and helmet. Believe me they will be used. From Iris a gift certificate to a spa.

"For some you time," she said.

Bruce gave me a utility belt. "Just in case," he replied. In case of what?

"Grandma took Jay and me out to get you this while you were sleeping yesterday," Bart said handing me a box. I opened it and found a charm bracelet. There were lightning bolts, boots, and comets. "You're part of the Flash family now."

"Aw, thanks kiddo," I said.

"My turn," Wally replied. "I had a buddy of mine make this for you." He handed me a small box with a ribbon on it.

Inside was an oval locket with a lightning bolt on it. Opening the locket, I found a picture with Heather, Timmy, and Charlie on one side and on the other side was a picture of Wally.

"So that no matter where we all go, we'll always be wherever you are."

What could I do, but kiss him. How did I manage to find the sweetest man alive? When I broke the kiss, in typical Wally fashion the next words out of his mouth were "Let's eat."

* * *

After cake, more presents and some champagne after the kids went to bed, it was time to clean up. But having three speedsters under one roof meant it went by fast. Of course they would not let me help on the grounds that it was my belated birthday. That night when Wally and I finally went to bed, I ventured to ask him something.

"Honey, how would you feel if we moved out here?" I asked.

"To Keystone?"

"Yeah. I mean it would be good for everybody. We'd be closer to Jay and Bart in case something else came up. There's a school near by for the twins. You and I could start over here, you know. A new city, a new home, a new life. What do you think?"

Wally sat on the edge of the bed. "I think that it might be a good idea. When I heard that Jay had had a heart attack; I thought that we should move here also. And you know, you're right. We do need to start over. Central City has some unhappy memories for both of us. Let's move here."

In my joy, I flung myself on top of Wally and kissed him. He returned my kiss with a passionate one of his own. He began to run his hands up my shirt, when there was a knock on the door. I laid my head on Wally's chest and sighed. I got up off of him and answer the door. It was Jay.

"Jay. What's up?" I asked.

"Just saying goodnight kids."

"Hey Jay," Wally said. "Question for you. Are there any houses for sell around here?"

"A couple. Why?"

"Amelia and I have decided that we're going to move the family here."

"Really?" Jay said with surprise. "Why?"

Wally and I looked at each other. "We just need to start over," Wally finally answered.

"Then why don't you two and the kids move in with me and Bart?"

"Jay no…" I started.

"Nonsense. This house is too big for just Bart and me. You are moving in with us and that is that."

Jay smiled and left us. I looked over at Wally and he looked over at me.

"I guess we found a place," Wally said.

I grabbed a pillow and hit him with it. He deflected it and tackled me. I laughed as he pinned me to the bed. "I guess we have," I replied.

* * *

_IMPORTANT NOTE FROM AUTHOR:_

_I fear that this will be my last update for a while (At least until March). I have come to a point in this story where I need to see the rest of Justice League Unlimited in order to finish. Since the next DVD release is in March (The 20th to be precise), I hope to have new chapters written shortly after that date. I know that it is a bit of a disappointment, but I would rather have the story to be as accurate as I possible can make it. I do, however, have another story starring the Justice League. If you want, I will post it._

_Summer Skye_


	13. Chapter 13

_I know that I said no updates until March, but since I celebrated the big 2-0 on Saturday the 10th, I worked it out so that I could update as a special gift for all you lovely readers from me to you. I hope you enjoy._

_Summer Skye_

* * *

Within a week Wally and I had completed the move to Keystone City. The move was easy; due to the fact that we had some of the fastest beings on the planet as our friends. As we moved, Wally and I decided that it was time for the twins to each have their own rooms. So Heather ended up with a room of her own, while Timmy shared his room with Charlie who was old enough to sleep in a big boy bed, now that he was walking and talking. At first Timmy was jealous that Heather got her own room, but that subsided when he found out that he got to be in the top bunk now. The bottom bunk was fitted with bars so that Charlie would not fall out of the bed while he slept.

A week after the move, the twins enrolled on their first day of kindergarten. They took it better than I thought they would. I think it had to do with the time they spent away from me learning to get a handle on their powers. The night before they went to school, Wally, Jay and I sat them down and explain under no circumstances were they ever to use their powers at school. When they asked why, we had to explain that there were people in the world who believed that people with superpowers were a threat. The three of us knew that they had no idea what we meant by that, but if we planted the seed now, they would understand by the time they were old enough to start join the ranks of the various superhero teams in the world.

Another big change was Wally deciding to become a stay-at-home dad. When I asked him why, he said that his dad was always working and never had much time for him. He did not want our children to be deprived of a father and since my job with the League made more than enough money for all of us, it made no sense for him to get another job. Luckily, the days he had monitor duty were my days off, so that meant the kids would always be supervised. Even if there was an Earth shattering emergency Jay would be there to baby-sit, now that he was retired. But little did I know that the Earth shattering event was closer than I thought.

I remember it was November, early in the month. We had just gotten over Halloween and the sugar buzzes that went with it. Now we had Thanksgiving to worry about. There was no doubt in my mind that we would be pulled six different directions at once as far as Thanksgiving dinner was concerned. Wally had told me once that it was his favorite holiday right after Christmas of course.

"There are obscene amounts of food for me," he had said. "When you have a hyper-accelerated metabolism, you welcome all the free food you can get."

I smiled at the memory as I made a large stack of pancakes for breakfast one morning. Jay was already up with coffee in hand. Bart was just padding into the kitchen bleary eyed. Instinctively I place the plate of pancakes nearest him. All of thirteen, he was still a growing boy and with the Flash metabolism, he was like a black hole. Fortunately for all concerned, I was a good cook and I kept everybody fed. Bart snorted as he looked over at his backpack in the corner by the kitchen door.

"What the matter sport?" Jay asked.

"You know my history teacher Mr. O'Riley?"

"Yes."

"Well he's planning this trip to the Gotham Museum of History and Art. He got permission from the principal to make it a week long trip, but he can't get enough parent volunteers."

"Why didn't you say anything before?" I asked sitting down.

"Because you're all busy. Jay has his JSA reunion, Wally's got monitor duty up at the Watchtower, Grandma is going on her annual spa getaway, and you have to work."

Jay looked at me and I nodded. "Bart," I said. "You know that any of us would drop everything to help you out. What week is the trip?"

"Next week."

"And how many more chaperones do you need?" Jay asked.

"Two."

"Then I'll take the week off from work," I said.

"And the JSA can last one year without me," Jay said. "Amelia and I will fill in the last two spots."

Bart's face brightened up. "You will?"

"You bet."

Faster than a speeding bullet, Bart dashed to his backpack and gave Jay the permission slip to sign, which Jay happily did. I smiled as I picked up the phone. "I guess I'll let Shayera know that she is off the hook for babysitting the kids."

"Oh I forgot about the twins and Charlie," Jay said.

"I don't think it will be a problem," Bart replied. "A kid in my class, his mom offered to volunteer and she just had a baby. Mr. O'Riley said it was okay for her to bring the baby."

"Besides the twins and Charlie aren't trouble makers," I said as I waited for Shayera to pick up the phone.

"Hello," a male voice said on the other end. The unmistakable voice of John Stewart.

Wally just walked in the kitchen as I responded. "Hi John. Is Shayera there?"

"Just a sec."

The scuttlebutt around the Watchtower was that John had finally come to his senses and dumped Vixen. By the sounds of things, John and Shayera had gotten back together and in more ways than one.

"John is answering Shayera's phone?" Wally asked as he poured himself the first of many cups of coffee for the day.

"Yeah."

"It's about time."

"Hello," Shayera said on the phone.

"Shayera, it's Amelia. Listen you won't have to baby-sit for me next week. Something's come up and I'm going to take next week off."

"Okay. We're still on lunch tomorrow, right?"

"Right. See at the Watchtower." I hung up the phone.

"You're taking next week off?" Wally asked sitting next to Jay at the kitchen table.

"Yeah. Jay and I are going to chaperone Bart's field trip to Gotham. We're taking the kids with us."

"But the twins will at school."

I shook my head. "The roof of the school caved in during the last snowfall. It's going to take weeks to repair." I looked up at the clock. "Come on Bart, you better finish eating before you miss the bus."

"Why do I have to take the bus, when I've got superspeed?" Bart asked to no on in particular.

"Because, it will keep you under the radar," Jay replied as he picked up his newspaper. "Now finish your breakfast."

* * *

"Amelia!" J'onn called to me.

I looked up from my clipboard to see J'onn coming toward me with a man not far behind. The stranger was a stocky and broad shouldered. He had a blond hair in a crew cut. His blue eyes were sharp and attentive. He was outfitted in the purple uniform of the Watchtower crew.

"What is it J'onn?" I asked checking off another item of my list. "I have to get this done before I take off next week."

"I just wanted you to meet Samuel Bergman. He is going to be joining your crew."

"Hi. I'm Amelia Jones. Call me Amelia. Welcome aboard."

"Uh hi," Bergman replied uncomfortably.

"On my crew we're pretty informal. Believe me by the end of the week, you'll have heard everyone's life story."

"Really? So what do you do in your off hours? Run around the world looking for lost treasures and carrying a whip."

I chuckled. "Wrong Jones. As for what I do in my off hours, I chase my three kids around the house. Amy!"

A brunette woman rushed over to me. "What's up?" she asked.

"Amy, I want you to show Bergman here the ropes. Bergman just follow Amy. She knows her stuff."

"Right," Bergman replied. Amy led him away just as Batman came in.

"Hey Bats," I said as I went back to my list.

"I hear that you're going to be in Gotham next week."

"Yeah. Bart's class has a field trip to the Gotham Museum of History and Art. Jay and I are chaperoning."

"Tim will be interested."

"Bart and Tim will probably arrange to get together and play video games or something."

Batman scowled. "I'm beginning to think that those video games are rotting his brain."

I smiled. "What? Is Tim getting to be more tech savvy than you."

Batman's scowl deepened. "Not funny. It just so happens that Tim's class is also going to the Museum of History and Art on the same day."

"And have Bart and Tim suffer together? That's just cruel."

"It'll be good for them."

I chuckled. "I'll see you in Gotham."

* * *

"They call this art?" I asked Jay as we walked down the art gallery. "It looks more like one of Charlie's finger-paintings."

Charlie giggled and clapped his hands as I pushed him in his stroller. Timmy and Heather were busy playing in the children's wing of the museum. A sudden breeze blew by us. Bart had stopped next to Jay.

"Hi guys. Bye guys," Bart said and was about to take off again, but Jay grabbed his jacket. "Hold it. What did I tell you about superspeed and museums?"

Bart sighed. "I know. But I'm so bored."

"You're not the only one," a teenage boy with black hair and blue eyes said coming over to Bart. I knew him immediately as Tim Drake, the current Robin. Bart's face lit up at the sight of a friendly face in unfriendly territory.

"Who sentenced you to this fate worse than death?" Bart asked Tim.

Bruce came up behind Bart and said in his Batman voice, "I did."

Bart froze and looked up at Bruce. "Uh…hi."

"Why don't you boys go on ahead," I suggested.

There was no need to tell them twice. We watched them briskly walk down the hall. "No speed!" Jay called after them. "Ah kids. It's good to see you Bruce."

"Likewise Jay," Bruce replied as they shook hands. "How are things?"

"Busy. Charlie here has figured out that he can vibrate his molecules to pass through solid objects. He's really keeping us on our toes."

"They all are," I added. "I've had to call Dr. Fate twice to come and remove a hex that Timmy put on Heather then on Charlie. Heather's mental powers are growing everyday. I'm amazed that I get to sleep at night."

"What do you mean?"

"Whenever Heather or Timmy have nightmares, it switches on their powers. Tim's blown holes in the wall with his magic and Heather's smashed every dish in the house with her telekinesis. But I've been working on a way to minimize the damage."

"Like what?" Bruce asked curiously.

"For starters replacing every dish with plastic ones, then I'm going to create some dampeners that the twins can wear until they have better control over their powers."

"ATTENTION. ALL ACTIVE AND RESERVE MEMBERS. THIS IS AN OMEGA LEVEL ALERT. REPEAT OMEGA LEVEL ALERT. ALL MEMBERS TO THEIR POSTS," Mr. Terrific's voice said over the com-link.

I turned to leave for my post, but Bruce grabbed my arm. "No. Stay with your kids."

"But…"

"No," he said in his Batman voice. "Get somewhere safe."

I knew better than to argue with Bruce when he was in Batman mode. I nodded and he left. I looked at Jay. "Are you going to go too?"

"Fighting crime is a young man's game these days," he replied. "Come on. Let's go find the kids and get out of here."

"But Mr. O'Riley…"

"I'll take care of him. Find the youngsters and meet me outside."

"Right."

I found the boys looking at the dinosaur skeletons. Tim immediately suggested that we head for Wayne Manor. I agreed. We picked the twins up from the children's wing and we all booked outside. In the street outside the museum, I saw Bruce's limo. Alfred was waiting by it.

"Master Timothy," Alfred said surprised. "Where is Master Bruce?"

"Omega Level Alert," I explained.

"I understand. Come along."

I nodded and started to load the kids in the limo.

"Mommy. What's wrong?" Timmy asked as I buckled him in.

"Nothing that you need to worry about honey," I replied trying to remain calm.

Jay came out just as I finished securing the kids. "I told Mr. O'Riley that a family emergency came up. Bart, come on."

Bart nodded. "Where are you guys going?" I asked.

"Wherever you're going. We'll just run," Jay explained.

"Okay. See you at Wayne Manor. Let's go Alfred and take it slow. The kids aren't in their car seats."

"Very good Miss Amelia."

* * *

When we arrived at Wayne Manor, Bart and Jay were already there waiting on the front porch. I did not waste anytime in getting my children unbuckled and into the house. Once inside, we all huddled around the TV in the living room to find out what was going on.

"This is Snapper Carr reporting," the reporter on TV said. "We have an update on the breaking development in New York, where an anti-metahuman militant organization has taken over the United Nations Building. The group had pushed their way into the building and has taken the entire General Assembly hostage. Wait. We're getting a report that the Justice League is responding."

"They'll take care of those bad guys," Timmy said. "Won't they Mommy?"

Part of me wanted to say yes, but another part was not sure. While I had all the faith in the world that the League would win, I also knew that an Omega Level Alert was not going to be as easy as taking out villains like Mirror Master or Atomic Skull. I had a bad feeling about this fight. These were not average supervillians simply out to conquer the world, there were an organized group of heavily armed militants out to eradicate an entire section of the world's population, a section that included my children.

"We'll see," was all I could say to my son. "Alfred, would you take the kids out of here. They don't need to see this."

"Of course Miss Amelia. Come along children. Who wants ice cream?"

"I do," three little voices chimed. The kids eagerly followed Alfred to the kitchen while I turned my attention to the impending battle on TV.

It was a stale mate at first, seeing who would blink first. I bit my lip in anticipation as the militants opened fired on the League. John was quick to put up a green shield as others took to the air. As I watched, the scales seemed to be tipping in the League's favor, but the militants had a trump card up their sleeves that would give me the worst shock of my life.

From the UN Building, dressed in olive drab and combat boots, emerged my ex-husband Mike Waters. I sat stupefied as his eyes narrowed and the entire Justice League was brought to their knees. Superman crashed into the pavement as he dropped from the sky. Wally was brought to a stop as he clutched his head in pain. Batman was the last to go down. He valiantly tried to claw his way to Mike. I watched as he reached into his belt to hopefully grab a Bat-a-rang, but fell before he could carry out the act. When the League got on their feet again, they had blank stares on their faces as the marched into the UN Building. As horrified as I was seeing my friends and loved ones being marched away, my brain was working overtime at how Mike did that. But that bit of thinking was put on the back burner when I saw the face of the new man on my crew Sam Bergman on the TV screen. My blood boiled at the thought of his passing the League background check and spying on us and what better way then to get on a maintenance crew.

I was wrapped up in thought that I did not notice the looks exchanged by Tim and Bart, but Jay did.

"Where are you two going?" Jay asked snapping me out of my internal thought. I looked to see Tim and Bart dressed in their respective Robin and Kid Flash costumes.

"We've got to mobilize the Teen Titans," Bart replied.

"And Dick has the Outsiders ready," Tim said. "They're meeting us in New York."

I knew that neither Jay nor I could stop them from doing what they had been trained to do. "Be careful," I said. "If they could do that to the Justice League, imagine what they could do to you."

"We'll do our best," Bart said.

The Titans and the Outsiders met a similar fate to the League as did the Doom Patrol and a collection of New Gods led by Mr. Miracle. Jay eventually left me in order to join the Justice Society of America in the fight. They too were defeated. I decided that Wayne Manor was as safe a place as anywhere now. Alfred had anticipated my decision and prepared beds for us. But I was not going to do any sleeping that night. I stayed up, glued to the TV hoping and praying for a miracle.

A bang at the front door startled me around midnight. Instinctively I grabbed the poker from the fireplace and went to answer the door. To my surprise, it was The Question.

"Q? Is that you?" I asked.

"Of course it's me," he answered.

"How did you escape?"

"I wasn't anywhere near the fight. Batman came to my apartment before I left and told me to find you and give you this," he held out a disc.

I let him in the house and put down the poker. "How did you find me?" I asked suspiciously.

"The GPS tracker in your cell phone," he explained. "I altered the one in my car to track yours."

We went to Bruce's study and loaded the disc into the computer.

"Amelia," a digital video of Batman said. "If you're watching this, then the League is in serious trouble. Ever since you introduced me to your ex at the UN party, I've been doing some digging. Up until now I have not been able to directly connect Waters to the militant group known as Humanity's Legion. Paul Herman was a member of this organization before Waters took over. This disc contains all the evidence that The Question and I have gathered since Herman's attempt on you life. Amelia, some how, some way you and The Question have got to get help. If Waters is half as dangerous as I believe him to be, we're going to need back up. If all the other hero teams and freelancers have tried and failed, you may take a _trip_ that will take some _time_. Good Luck Amelia and it has been an honor to know you."

I sat back in the desk chair, pondering Bruce's message. With all the others captured, I only had one option. "Q," I said.

"Yeah."

"How do you feel about blowing the Temporal Prime Directive and the rule book out the air lock?"

"What's the plan?"

* * *

Leaving Alfred to look after the kids, The Question and I trudged down to the Bat-Cave. To my surprise, I found large amounts of equipment and a _Javelin_ from my workshop in the cave. Even my restored Firecat, motorcycle jacket, helmet, and utility belt were there. Batman must have activated the transporters before he went down. In the pocket of my jacket were the magnetic gloves I invented and next to the bike were the matching boots. All of a sudden, Bruce's words at my birthday made sense. He knew something was going to happen and had taken it upon himself to prepare me for the fight.

"What is all this stuff?" The Question asked surveying the equipment.

"Everything I need to install the STC into this _Javelin_."

"The what?"

"The Spatial Time Capacitor. A device that Batman and I have been working on to detect temporal anomalies in the fabric of time…"

"So that they can be corrected," The Question said catching on.

"Exactly. The STC uses a combination of Fourth World Boom Tube technology along with the temporal technology that we confiscated from Chronos. It creates a slipstream in time, which would allow us to correct time anomalies. That's the theory anyway."

"Testing unsuccessful?"

"Small scale testing went through beautifully, but when we moved up to large scale, it was like putting metal in a microwave. We still haven't figured out why."

"Batman wouldn't have sent this stuff here unless it was our only chance of getting reinforcements. It's time to put the large scale theory to the ultimate test."

I nodded and picked up my drill.

"We need to pass the speed of light in order to get enough speed to active the STC," I commented to Q as he piloted the newly improved _Javelin_. Q was certified to fly a _Javelin_ while I was still logging hours. For the sake of the mission, I opted to let Q drive.

Q opened the throttle all the way and we gained speed.

"Activating STC," I said as we approached the desired speed.

A bright light enveloped the _Javelin_ and…


	14. Chapter 14

_Greetings all! Now that I own Season 2 of JLU and Season 3 of Batman Beyond, I have been able to update. _

_A special comment: I have gotten reviews that state the Amelia's skills rival Batman's. __**THEY DO NOT!**__ When I was writing Chapter 2, my brain was thinking faster than my fingers could type and I left out a word. I meant to write __skill diversity__, not just skills. I'm sorry that I caused any distress. My bad. Please forgive me._

_Summer Skye_

* * *

The concussive force of the ship exiting the time tunnel had knocked us towards the back of the _Javelin_. I was laying across Q while he was sitting up slightly. Thank God we engaged the autopilot just before we entered the tunnel. I held my head as a headache was developing.

_Note to self: require crash helmets during all time travel missions._

"Amelia," Q said, "are we dead?"

"No," I groaned as I got up. "But it sure as hell feels like we should be."

I helped Q get to his feet. "Where are we?" he asked.

I went to the monitor. "It's not where, but when. If I'm reading this right, we're in the 31st century."

"That means Supergirl is around here somewhere," Q replied retaking helm control. "Now we just have to find her."

A red light flashed indicating an incoming transmission. "It looks like she might have found us," I answered as I patched the call through. "This is _Javelin 0-8-0_. To whom am I speaking?"

"This is the Legion of Superheroes," A young woman's voice said. "Bring up your video screen." I did so. On the screen was a young blond woman with a very familiar S on her chest. This had to be Supergirl. Q confirmed it.

"Kara, this is The Question. We've gotta talk."

"Q? How did you get here? Why are you here? Is Clark all right?"

"I'll answer all you questions later," Q replied. "Right now I need some landing coordinates."

"Transmitting. Stand by."

The coordinates were a deserted field. It was just as green as New York City during St. Patrick's Day. Good to know that the future is not a technological waste land. As we landed, I saw a small group of people waiting. This must be the welcoming party from the Legion of Superheroes.

"Q," Supergirl said coming forward. I read worry all over her face and her words confirmed it. "What's going on? Is it Clark? Please tell me it's not Clark."

Q looked at me. I nodded. We had to tell her. "Kara," Q said. "You better sit down."

Supergirl sat on a stump with a blue skinned, blond haired boy putting his hand on her shoulder. Since Q knew her better, I allowed him to tell Supergirl about the crushing defeat of the Justice League and its allies. Throughout the narrative, Supergirl remained outwardly calm, but I knew that inside she was being torn apart. I could not blame her. Her cousin was caught between a rock and a hard place that he could not punch his way out of. When Q finished, I went to her and took her hand.

"Kara," I said. "I know this is a shock, but you've got to listen to me. You can't allow yourself to lose hope. If you do, then these…these…evil people will have won."

Kara wiped her watery eyes and managed to smile. "Thanks…uh…"

"Amelia. Amelia Jones."

The Legionnaires murmured amongst themselves almost as if they could not believe that I was who I said I was. "Something I said?" I asked.

"Your name is well known in this century," the blue skinned boy said. "You're the mother of modern time travel technology."

Wow! Little ol' me is famous in the thirty-first century. Who would have thought it? "I'm sorry," I replied snapping out of my wonder. "I didn't catch your name."

"Querl Dox," The boy said holding out his hand. "Codename: Brainiac 5. Call me Brainy."

Supergirl was dating a Brainiac? Oh boy. Superman is going to flip his lid when he finds out. Ollie had once told me that he and John were afraid to tell Supes about Supergirl's boyfriend. Well here was Superman's chance to meet the boy that Kara likes so much. "Well Brainy," I said shaking his hand. "How do you feel about taking a trip in time?"

Before Brainiac could answer another boy came forward. He was a dark haired wearing a purple jumpsuit. "Hold it," he said. "We can't go breaking the laws of time."

"Got news for you kid," I replied. "By talking to me and Q, you've already broken them."

"The name is Cosmic Boy," the boy growled.

"Right. Cosmic Boy." Somehow it sounded like a second-rate sidekick name. "Do you understand what's at stake?"

"Yes I do. But we can't just go skipping through time. Besides we don't know that we're supposed to help you."

"And why is that?" Q asked slightly annoyed.

"The records from the U.N. Crisis have been sealed," Supergirl explained. "Batman encrypted the files so thoroughly that we can't crack the code."

"Is that so?" I asked. "And you've tried everything?"

"Everything," Brainiac 5 assured me.

"Then there's something in there that he doesn't want you to know." I smiled and cracked my knuckles. "Show me the nearest computer terminal."

* * *

The Legion's headquarters was a Trekkie's dream come true. Hell, even the Watchtower was a Trekkie's dream come true. I slid into a very Captain Kirk-esc chair and began putting my ten magic fingers to work.

"I don't see how you can help," Saturn Girl, a blond Legionnaire, said. "Brainy couldn't crack the code and he's a twelfth level intellect."

"Honey, he could be God Almighty and he still wouldn't know how Batman thinks."

The code was a three digit one. Obviously not Batman's usual 9-1-9-3-9 code. Okay Amelia, time to shift into high gear. I tried Batman's Justice League access code, the anniversary of his parent's murder, his birthday, Tim's birthday, Dick's birthday, even my birthday all with the same result: Access Denied.

Then a thought came to me. "Computer. Open folder: UN Crisis. Authorization: Amelia 3-2-5.

"Processing," the computer said. "Access granted."

The Legion stood agape. "How did you know that?" Brainiac 5 asked.

I smiled. "I think that Batman knew that I would be coming this far into the future. He wanted to make sure nobody saw these files before I did, so he used my authorization code and voice print. So let's have a look."

According to the files, The Legion of Superheroes did send a team to assist Q and me on the mission. But there were still gaps in the information. Several files were even more encrypted than the first. Despite my best efforts, I just was not the hacker that Batman was.

"Well I do know one thing," Supergirl said as I closed the files. "I'm going with you."

"Good," I replied. "We could use some heavy hitters. Any other takers?"

"Me," Brainiac 5 said.

I nodded. "I think that will do. I know that all of you want to go, but we can't risk polluting the time line too much. Beside I'm sure that this century has its share of super villains to deal with. Somebody's got to save the world."

"So when do we leave?" Supergirl asked anxiously.

"Tomorrow morning," I answered.

"Tomorrow?" Supergirl asked in shock.

"That's right. The STC can only hold a charge long enough for one trip at a time. It takes 24 hours to recharge," I yawned. "And I haven't slept in 48 hours."

"Amelia's right," Q replied. "We all need to rest and save our strength."

Supergirl reluctantly nodded.

* * *

Q and I were given quarters in the Legion's headquarters and some clean clothes to sleep in. Sleep I found did not come as easily as I hoped. Though I was exhausted, I could not sleep. I was worried. What if we did not make it in time? Were my kids safe? Would the STC work again? Was Wally safe? What was I going to do? After hours of trying I gave up on sleep. Why fight what was not coming naturally?

"But why fight at all?" I asked myself aloud as I walked around Legion Headquarters. "Face it Amelia, you're not a fighter. That incident with Paul Herman wasn't fighting. That was putting circus tricks to a different use. Anyway it was Wally and Vic who did the real fighting, not you." I sat down on a bench and looked out a window. "What am I doing this for?"

My locket weighted heavily against my breast. I picked it up and opened it. Inside were the smiling faces of Heather, Timmy, and Charlie on one side. Timmy was wearing a wine colored shirt and black slacks with his hair slicked back. He sat behind Heather who wore her favorite purple dress. Charlie was wearing a button up shirt and a bow tie. He sat in front and to the side of Heather. This was the portrait that we had taken of the kids shortly after the school year started. On the other half of the locket was a picture of Wally and me. We had taken it while up at Hatton Corners on vacation with the Titans. We were sitting on the beach, his arms wrapped around me and wearing a big smile

A smile started to spread across my face as I remembered that day. I had never been so happy before I met Wally. He had become my strength. My children were my hope, a hope that I almost let go of because of my fear and doubt. Fear and doubt that Mike had brought back into my life.

"Never again," I told myself as I snapped my locket shut.

I got up and headed for the gym. I was not going to sleep tonight.

* * *

"Have you been here all night?" Q asked.

Through sweat soaked hair, I saw Q standing at the door still dressed in his PJ's. He threw me a towel, which I gladly used to wipe the sweat away. "What time is it?" I asked.

"Eight o'clock in the morning," he replied.

"Eight o'clock? Time flies."

"What are you doing in here?"

I sat down on the mat and stretched. "Making sure that I'm fit to go through with this."

"What?" he asked sitting next to me.

"Vic," I said using his civilian nickname. "I don't know if I can do this. I'm not a leader. Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, they're leaders, even Wally has more leadership qualities than me."

"I've never known you to doubt yourself," he said.

"Neither have I. But Mike coming back into my life has brought up some pretty awful feelings. When we were married, he would talk down to me, like I was a child and didn't understand. When it was just me and him, I could deal with it. But when I got pregnant, he turned violent and started to hit me. He had never ever been violent before."

"Is that when you packed up and left him?"

"About then. Maybe a few weeks after the hitting started. I had to find Dick first. When I walked out that door, I thought I would be rid of him forever. Even before I knew about Dick's hero work, I knew he could cover my tracks. For years, despite the struggle of raising the twins and juggling dead end jobs, I made it work. My self-confidence increased. When I met all of you, I couldn't have imagined finding a better place or people to be role models for my kids. But Mike is ruining all of this."

"And you're doubting yourself because of this?"

"Mike has a way of making me believe what he says is true. He would tell me I was nothing and I would believe him. He told me I could never leave and I believed him."

"But you did leave. What made you want to?"

"I don't know. Maybe because I had my kids to think about. I always wanted kids and when Mike demanded I get an abortion, I couldn't do it, you know. But I'm glad I left him. I wouldn't give up the life I have now."

Vic nodded. "Confidentialy. I wish I could have your life."

"Vic?"

"I see you and Wally with your kids and wish that I could have that."

I could not help but smile. "Then why don't you ask Helena to marry you?"

"And taint the bonds of love with an institution that has been corrupted by the fascist state?"

"I'm speaking from experience. If you don't make your move, you're going to lose her."

"Excuse me," a voice said. "Are you Amelia Jones?"

I turned around to see a young woman of about sixteen at the gym door. She had mocha colored skin and hair. She wore a blue and white costume. "That depends on who's asking." I answered.

"My name's Jenni Ognats. They call me XS. You know Bart Allen."

"Yeah?"

"He's my cousin."

I looked at the girl. "Let me guess. You wanna come along?"

"Yes. Supergirl and I have much more to lose than the other Legionnaires. If there's something I can do to prevent anything happening to my family, then I will."

_You and me both._ "Jenni. This can't be a personal crusade," I said.

"I know that. But still want to help."

I looked at Vic and he nodded. "Then I've only got one question for you."

"Which is?"

"Do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death?"

Jenni looked at me very confused and Vic groaned. "Have you been watching _Pirates of the Caribbean_ again?" he asked.

"Have you been watching alien autopsies again?" I shot back. "Jenni if I were you I'd dust off my history books."

"You mean I can come."

"Report to the launch bay in two hours."

She threw me a salute. "Yes ma'am!"

As Jenni left, Vic helped me to my feet. "And you said you weren't a leader."

* * *

"Ready to go?" I asked as Q and I approached the _Javelin_.

Supergirl, Brainiac 5, and XS gave us grim nods. We all had loved ones that were depending on us, not to mention a future that also depended on our success. No pressure, right?

"Then let's go." I gave each of them crash helmets. "Trust me, you'll want them."

Without a word, they put on the helmets and boarded the _Javelin_. Q took my arm and pulled me aside. "Are you going to be okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'll be okay. I just needed some reassurance."

He patted my shoulder and took off his fedora to put on his crash helmet. He boarded the _Javelin_. I pulled my locket out of my shirt and rubbed it with my thumb. "I hope I know what I'm doing," I said quietly to myself before tucking the locket back under my shirt and putting on my helmet.

When I boarded the _Javelin_, Q was sitting in the pilot's seat with our small crew in the passenger seats. A co-pilot's chair waited for me. As I sat I looked at Q. He had put his fedora on top of his helmet.

"You look like a complete dork, you know that right?" I said as I sat down.

"It's all apart of my film noir nostalgia."

"If film noir met space odyssey maybe. You kids all set?" I asked the Legionnaires as if I was taking a road trip with my kids.

"Yes," Brainiac 5 replied for all of them.

"Engaging thrusters," Q said and the Javelin shot out of the launch bay.

"Approaching the speed of light," I reported. "Activating the STC. Stand by."

"Standing by," everyone replied.

"Here we go in three…two…one…engage."

My finger had barely touched the button when the bright light engulfed us again and…


	15. Chapter 15

As we exited the time tunnel again, XS looked out the window.

"Where are we?" she asked.

Q and I looked down. Below was a dirty, high-tech looking city. I could only be one city. "Gotham," Q and I said at the same time. "There's no mistaking that cesspool," I added.

"That's Gotham?" XS said in disbelief. "It's so dirty."

"Wait 'til you smell," I replied. "Believe me. A men's locker room smells like a bed of roses compared to Gotham City. How Batman can live here, I don't know."

"I hope Helena agrees to live in Hub City," Q replied.

I smiled. Hub City was not much better than Gotham.

"What time are we in?" Supergirl asked.

"Based on the primitive technology I see," Brainiac 5 replied, "I would say that we're in the late twenty-first century."

"Primitive?" I asked.

"Primitive from my frame of reference," Brainiac 5 quickly corrected.

"Uh ah. Anyway welcome to a city of power, corruption, and caped clad heroes that stalk the night's evils."

A red light blinked. "It's the first responder frequency," Q said as he turned on the com.

"All available personnel respond to an explosion on the corner of Fourth and Kane," the operator said.

"10-4. Unit 39 responding," a squad car reported.

"Think they could use a hand?" I asked.

As if to answer, Q put the thrusters into high gear.

* * *

The scene was chaotic. People were everywhere, some running away from the scene and others running toward it. An apartment building was in flames and rescue crews were doing their best to rescue civilians and fight the fire. Q landed _The Javelin_ on a nearby rooftop. As soon as they were off _The Javelin_, Supergirl, Brainiac 5, and XS were off doing what they had been trained to do best: helping people. Once Q and I were on the ground we started helping the civilians getting to safety. 

Shadows passed overhead causing me to look up. I smiled as I saw a familiar sight. The Justice League to the rescue. I saw Superman, Big Barda, a Kid Green Lantern, a winged man carrying a green haired woman, and a jet-like car heading toward the scene.

"Looks like the Cavalry has arrived," Q said as he helped a woman to her feet.

"Good to see some things never change," I replied.

"How's it going down here?" XS asked dropping off two civilians.

"Like a three ring circus: chaotic and busy," I answered.

XS smiled and sped off to do more hero work. Police officers arrived to help with crowd control and paramedics began to take the injured to nearby hospitals. Every so often I would look up and see Superman fly overhead and catch someone who had fallen out of a window. Green flashes from the Green Lantern contrasted with the red and yellow flames of the fire. If the Justice League noticed the Legion of Superheroes, they made no indication of it. There was a job to do and formalities would have to wait.

"That's the last of them," the winged man said touching down with a young couple in his arms.

"Are you sure?" I asked bending down to touch my toes stretching out my aching back. It was somehow refreshing to hear and feel my vertebrae cracking.

"Of course I'm sure," he snapped.

"Easy Warhawk," Superman said defusing the situation. "She didn't mean it, did you, young lady?"

Young lady? "Keep up that young lady crap and then I really will mean it," I replied standing up right.

Superman stared wide-eyed at me. "Amelia? Is that you?"

"No. I'm really a doppelganger who took the place of Amelia Jones," I answered in my usual sarcastic manner. "Yes, of course it's me."

Superman's response was to scoop me up into a Kryptonian bear hug. Superman's powerful arms pushed out whatever air was in my lungs. My bones creaked and groaned as the Man of Steel laughed. "It's you! It's really you!"

"Ah Supes," I gasped breathlessly.

"Yeah?"

"I can't breathe."

"Oh sorry." He let go of me and I took in grateful amounts of air into my lungs.

"Glad to see you ditched the cape," I said brushing some dust off his shoulder. Every since Wally and I had let the kids watch _The Incredibles_, I lived in fear of our cape clad friends being sucked into an airplane engine or getting it snagged on rocket. "Though I can't say I like the color scheme."

"What's wrong with it?"

"Come on Supes. Blue, red, and yellow. You can't beat it."

"Who is she?" the man called Warhawk asked very confused by Superman's actions and behavior.

Before anyone could begin the introductions, a scream caught our attention. It was to scream of a child crying for help. On the ground a woman screamed when she looked up. The child's mother. My blood ran cold as I reached into my utility belt and pulled out my grapple gun. I shot it and was pulled up to the window of the apartment where the child was trapped.

I smashed through the window and was immediately enveloped by the intense heat and choking smoke. It the floor and crawled looking for the child.

"WHERE ARE YOU?!" I called out over the roar of the fire.

"HERE!" a voice answered.

I crawled to a room in the back of the apartment. Huddled in the corner was a seven-year-old girl dressed in a pink nightshirt. She was clutching a teddy bear and coughing. Her blond hair was covered in soot and her cheeks were smudged.

"It's okay sweetie," I said comfortingly. "I'm here to take you to your mommy."

The little girl rushed over to me and threw her arms around my neck. "I'm scared," she said.

"It's going to be okay. I promise," I replied smoothing her hair out.

With the girl tucked under my arm, I made my way back to the window. The flames intensified. There was a smell in the air. I knew that smell all to well. It was gas. I looked around and found an exposed gas line near the heating unit. I had to get out of there and fast.

The flames came into contact with the gas causing an explosion just as I managed to get out of the window with the girl in my arms. The concussion wave pushed me off the windowsill and down to the ground.

The little girl screamed and the adrenaline pumped through my veins as I reached for my grapple gun again. I shot it and the claw hooked onto a stone gargoyle on the opposite building. I jerked around like a worm on a hook as the cable went taut and I dangled way too far away from the ground for my liking and I was too far away from the building to safely repel down the side with a child in my arms.

"Hey guys," I said patching into the com after some careful maneuvering. "I could use a little help up here."

The line went slack as Superman came up underneath me to carry the little girl and me down to the ground. I was never so happy to touch terra firma. The second I was on the ground, the little girl's mother pushed through the crowd to get to her little girl.

"Oh Rachel," the woman cried taking the girl from me.

"Mommy."

The mother looked at me with tears in her eyes. "Thank you," she said.

I smiled as they walked away. My knees buckled as the adrenaline rush wore off. Superman caught me. "I'm not used to this kind of work," I said as I coughed to clear my lungs of the smoke I had inhaled.

"From what I just saw, you're certainly qualified."

I shook my head. "No I'm not. I'm just a mom."

Superman smiled. The rest of our group came over to us. "He wants to see her," a young man in a black suit with a red bat on his chest said.

Superman nodded and helped me to my feet. Who wanted to see me? Wait. This guy had a bat on his chest. Was he Batman? He did not sound like Bruce, but Bruce would be an old man now. This was the new Batman and I think that the old Batman wanted to see me.

"Shall we rendezvous at the Bat-cave?" I asked.

The new Batman stared at me blankly. "You know about the Bat-cave?"

"Kid, that's just the tip of the iceberg," I said with a smile.

* * *

_The Javelin_, I learned, took some damage during the last Time Jump. The good news was that the propulsion was undamaged so we were able to fly to Wayne Manor and the Bat-cave. The bad news was the STC was fried. 

As we disembarked, we were met by the Justice League and an old man with a cane. The old man could only be one person.

"It's good to know that you're still alive and kicking Bruce," I said going up to him.

Even with his back bent with age, Bruce was still taller than me. He looked down at me through those sharp blue eyes that I remembered so well. "It's good to see you again Amelia," he said turning around and walking over to the Bat-computer.

Typical Bruce. I just shrugged my shoulders and followed him. On the computer screen were the plans for the STC. "You'll need these," Bruce replied sitting down in the chair.

"Ah, and I didn't get you anything," I said looking at the screen.

"Wait a minute," the younger version of Batman said. He had taken off his mask. He was a dark haired kid, no more than seventeen. Kind of reminded me of Bruce a little, but without the stoic attitude. "I think that some introductions are in order. Just who the hell is she and how does she know about the Bat-cave?"

"Her name is Amelia Jones," Superman explained. "She was the chief engineer and resident inventor for the Justice League back in the day."

_Was?_ How come I did not like the tense he was using? I let it go as I got stares from the Justice League.

"You're Amelia Jones?" Warhawk asked.

"Last time I checked."

"But you…"

"Warhawk," Bruce said in his Bat-tone. The younger hero shut up immediately leaving me with a bad vibe. Something here was not kosher.

"How long will repairs take?" Q asked me.

"A couple of hours," I replied. "Then STC will need twenty-four hours to recharge. We'll be able to leave tomorrow or the next day. Who here is handy with tools?" Warhawk and Brainiac 5 raised their hands. "You two are with me. The rest of you I suggest that you get some rest."

As I rolled up my sleeves, I saw Q go over to Bruce and Superman. The three of them talked quietly about something. Whatever it was, it was not my business. My job was to get everything in working order so that we could get back and put things right.

"So you're Psych and Shaman's mom?" Warhawk asked.

Pysch and Shaman? "Who?" I inquired picking up a wrench.

"Heather Jones and Timothy Jones. Their alter egos are Pysch and Shaman."

"The twins are in the League?"

"Psych uses her mind powers to defeat the…" Brainiac 5 started.

"Brainy," I said.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Sorry."

"Anyway. The twins, Charlie, Mark, Marina and I are second generation Leaguers," Warhawk explained as he welded a piece of the hull back into place.

"Mark?"

"Black Arrow."

"Ollie and Dinah's boy?"

"Yeah."

File that away for future reference. "And let me guess, Marina is Aquaman's daughter."

"Aquagirl," Warhawk confirmed.

"She has Mera's eyes. So whose kid are you or do I really have to guess?"

Warhawk chuckled. "That obvious, huh."

"You have Shayera's attitude and temper, but you have John's chin."

"Mom and Dad talked about you a lot. They said there was no one quite like you."

There goes that past tense thing again. Do I die or something? No, there is no sense in jumping to conclusion just yet. "And what do you think Warhawk?"

"I think that they were right. From what I've seen, there is no one like you."

I smiled and continued to work. But a little shadow lurked in the back of my mind. What was going on?

* * *

"Finished?" Bruce said coming into the kitchen. 

I nodded. "Just a few minutes ago. We should be ready for take off tomorrow morning," I said filling a glass with water.

"Kent is sending Warhawk, Aquagirl, Green Lantern, and McGinnis with you," Bruce replied sitting down at the table.

"I'll take 'em. I'll welcome all the help I can get. I'm going to need it."

"What makes you say that?"

"I've been pondering about how Mike was able to take down the League so easily and I've come to a conclusion. Mike must have mental powers of some kind. Where else would Heather get her mental abilities?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Timmy obviously gets his from my side. My father must have been a mystic, because all of his illusions were too real to be fakes. But I've always suspected that Mike might be a Meta ever since J'onn told me about what it takes for a person to be a Meta. I just never thought that it would come to this."

Bruce nodded and coughed. "Amelia could you get my pills? They're in the cabinet above the sink."

"Sure." I got up and went to the cabinet. "Bruce maybe you can answer something for me."

"If I can."

I went back to the table with pill bottle in hand. I gave Bruce the bottle and sat back down. "I want you to tell me something straight and now beating around the bush about it."

"What is it, Amelia?"

I took a sip of water. "Do I die on this mission?"

Bruce's eyes narrowed, but he did not say anything. His expression was enough for me.

"I do die, don't I?"

Again he did not say anything.

"Bruce." I got up from the table. As soon as I was on my feet, I felt dizzy. My vision clouded. Suddenly my knees gave way and I fell to the ground, before everything went black.

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a bed. The early morning light beamed in through the window. I groaned and sat up. Next to the bed was Bruce sitting in a chair with a grim face. 

"You bastard," I hissed. "You goddamn bastard! You drugged me!"

"The Question said you hadn't slept in nearly three days."

"How could I sleep when the whole world is being shot to hell," I said rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

Bruce's face remained grim. "Amelia. Do remember what you asked me before you passed out?"

"I remember asking you if I die on this mission. I still haven't gotten an answer."

"You die Amelia," he answered in straightforward Bruce "The Batman" Wayne fashion. I pulled up my knees to my chest and gave him my undivided attention. "You die saving all of us."

"How?"

"You infiltrated the U.N. building with the others. You managed to free all of us, but Waters put us all under mind control, except you. He must have wanted you to feel helpless. He forced us to fight you."

"I die in the battle don't I?"

He nodded. "But not before you threw a Bat-a-rang knocking Waters out and free us from the mind control." His eyes watered at the memory. "I remember every bruise on your body. I remember watching you fighting for your life. I remember every punch I threw at you and not being able to stop myself. I saw it all and I couldn't stop it."

Something inside Bruce reverted back to that eight-year-old little boy that was force to watch his parents die and not being able to lift a finger to help them. He had become Batman to keep that from happening again to him and he had to watch me die without being able to help me.

I reached out and took his aged hand. He looked up at me and a single tear ran down his cheek. I brushed it away. "Now that I know what could happen, we can take precautions to keep that from happening. I'm going to make you a promise Bruce. I promise that I will not die. I'm going to live. I'm going to be there to annoy you with my loud music, my cheery attitude, and my outrageous pop culture references."

He smiled. "I believe that you will keep that promise and you will if I have anything to say about it." He got up. "Come on, we've got work to do."

I threw him a salute. "Yes, sir!" I pushed back the covers and began putting my shoes on.

"Oh Amelia."

"Yeah?"

"Not a word to anyone about what you saw. I have an image to protect."

I held up three middle fingers of my right hand. "Scout's honor."

* * *

"What's in the bag?" Supergirl asked as I boarded the newly repaired Javelin. 

"You're the one is x-ray vision. You tell me," I answered knowing full well that the duffle bag was lead shielded to prevent anyone from stopping me in the plan that Bruce and I had concocted this morning.

The plan was simple. I would tell the others that I was going to remain behind to monitor things from the Bat-cave. What they did not know was that I was going to arrive separately and put up a stasis field around the U.N. building to keep Mike from using his mind powers. In the duffle bag was everything to initiate a covert operation. A black suit that was fitted with most of the bells and whistles that new Bat-suit had. I opted out of the rocket-propelled boots, a newly stocked utility belt, and a cortical dampener to shield my brain patterns from Mike's telepathic notice.

"Everyone ready to go?" I asked as I buckled into the co-pilot's seat. I got affirmatives from everyone. "Okay Q, let's take her out."

I looked out the window and saw Bruce standing near the launch pad. I gave him a reassuring smile and a thumbs up. He gave me a little smile and nodded. I was going to keep my promise to him. I was going to survive this mission. Come hell or high water, I was going to live!


	16. Chapter 16

_Hail and well met! Sorry, I just got done with a Renaissance Faire and I am still speaking in Faire speak. A thousand, thousand apologies. Before reading this, there is something I would like to address that is relevant to the story. I have never been the United Nations Building in New York City (I have never been to New York either), so I have taken some creative license with the layout of the building. In the continuum of this story, the United Nations Building has undergone some…renovations._

_Thanks for reading!_

_Summer Skye_

* * *

"Alfred! Kids!" I called as I disembarked from _The Javelin_. The Bat Cave was quiet. Too quiet. "Something's wrong." 

I started upstairs with the others behind me. My spider sense was tingling as I opened the clock that covered the entrance to the Bat Cave. Warhawk, Batman, Supergirl, and Question were right behind me as I stepped into Wayne Manor.

The library was in disarray. Torn books and papers littered the floor. The chairs were turned over. Glass from a mirror was scattered everywhere. The portrait of Bruce's parents hand been dislodged from it's place on the mantle.

"There was a fight here," Warhawk said picking up a trashed book.

Q bent down and examined the hard wood floors. "Scuff marks. Someone was dragged out of the this room."

I looked to the door. Next to a column was a smashed vase covered in blood.

"No!" I whispered and ran out of the room.

Up the stairs, I ran as fast as my feet could carry me. Oh God, please let my kids be okay! I pushed open the door to the bedroom that Alfred had put the kids into for the night. It was empty.

My whole world collapsed upon itself as I sank it my knees. I felt cold as the others came into the room. Q saw the blank expression on my face and took charge.

"XS make a sweep of the house. Look for anyone that might be here," he said. XS threw him a salute and speed off. "Amelia. Amelia talk to me."

"They're gone Q," I whispered. "He took them. He took my children!"

I clutched Q's trench coat and cried into his chest. He was not sure of what to do, so he reluctantly put his arms around me.

"Who is she talking about?" Aquagirl asked.

"Her ex-husband Mike Waters," Q answered. "He's the brain behind the operations for Humanity's Legion."

"He's also Heather and Timmy biological father," I replied in a cracked voice from crying. I had shed my tears, now it was time to act. I got to my feet and examined the room.

There was smashed glass and crockery on the floor. "Heather's work no doubt," I replied picking up a piece of glass. "She must have used her powers."

"There are burns on the floor," Q said.

"Charlie's speed," I stated looking at the walls and ceiling. There were char marks. "And Timmy made this with his powers."

I swelled with pride at the idea of my children fought for their freedom. Now it was up to me to rescue them.

"Lookie at what I found passed out in the kitchen," XS said as she returned to the bedroom. She tossed a man into the room, an all too familiar man.

"Well, well. Sam Bergman, fancy meeting you here," I said. I reached down and pulled him up by the lapels of his flack jacket. "Give me one good reason not to kick the crap out of you."

Bergman gave me an icy stare. "I am superior to you. You're a filthy meta, just like them." He looked at the League and the Legion.

"I've got news for you Bergman. I don't have superpowers. Neither does The Question or Batman here. We're ordinary humans that have worked very hard to get where we are in life."

Bergman's face remained unchanged. "It doesn't change anything. The Commander will…."

I brought Bergman's face closer. "Let me tell you something about your precious commander," I said in a dangerously low voice. "He's a metahuman."

"Liar!"

"Why would I lie? He's a telepath and he is the father of a mystic and a telekinetic-telepath."

All the color in Bergman's face drained. "It's not true," he managed to say.

"How else could he take out the League, the Titans, the Outsiders, the JSA and the New Gods so easily?"

I let him drop to his knees, letting it sink in. I stepped back and just looked at him.

"It seems to me," Q said, "that you have two options Bergman. You can either help us and reduce your punishment or we pack you off the Arkham right now."

"You have ten seconds to make up your mind," I added. "One…Two…"

"Okay, okay. I'll help," Bergman said in a panic. "Jesus, I thought you were just a laid back kinda girl."

"You were mistaken," I said. "Now start talking."

* * *

On Bergman's information, we learned that Humanity's Legion had gone to all the homes of the heroes in their custody and kidnapped their loved ones. They were being held in the Assembly Chambers of the U.N. building. Humanity's Legion had separated the original seven from the rest of the heroes. They planned to systematically annihilate the metas that they had captured at noon the next day, which left us very little time.

After erasing Bergman's access codes from the Watchtower databanks, I transported him to the brig, making sure to activate every security protocol available to me. At least in the Watchtower, he would be out of trouble and out of my hair.

"I'll monitor things from here," I said giving Q a box. "These cortical dampeners should keep Mike out of your heads."

"And if they don't?" Warhawk asked.

"Do what I always do."

"Which would be…?"

"When in doubt, scream and shout."

Everyone chuckled a little even I managed to smile. Leave it to me to crack a joke when the world was about to be sent to Hell in a hand basket. "You guys be careful," I said seriously. "Don't make me come and save you."

"Don't worry Mother," Batman said teasingly. "We'll look both ways before crossing the street."

I watched them board _The Javelin_ and take off. Little did they know that I was right behind them.

I immediately changed into the skin-tight black jump suit Bruce had given me. I did a few stretches to make sure I could move in it.

"Jesus Christ. How do they save the world in a tight suit like this?" I asked myself as the jump suit tugged at my skin with every move.

Next was to fill my utility belt with smoke pellets, throwing stars, knives, and any other useful weaponry Bruce would not mind me borrowing to save the world. I filled a canteen with paraffin, an oil that fire breathers in the circus use. Some how I had a feeling I was going to need it. I slid my personally customized MP3 player into a pocket. A little psychological warfare was in order. A few more items went into the utility belt. Needless to say, a magician never reveals her secrets. The very last thing to pack was a picture of my family. I tucked it under my jump suit inside my bra, keeping it close to my heart. The last thing I did was encode a message to Wally and the kids, just in case.

Fortunately Bruce had sent my magnetic gloves and boot with the rest of the equipment he had transported from the Watchtower, along with my bike jacket, motorcycle, and helmet. I slipped them on and looked in the mirror.

"James Bond eat your heart out," I said examining the spy-ness of my ensemble. Putting on my helmet, I revved up my bike and speed off to the Big Apple.

* * *

As I approached the U.N. building, there were squad cars and police all over the place. The military was there too. They would be. This was the U.N. building and its respected delegates were being held hostage, along with the Earth's greatest heroes.

I pulled into an alley not far from the building. If the cops or the military saw me, they would prevent me from trying to help my friends and family. I shut off my bike and took a moment to center myself. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I turned on the cortical dampener, attached it behind my ear, and put my helmet back on.

It was surprisingly easy to get pass the police and military. They were concentrated in the front. I found a back entrance into the U.N. building that was not heavily guarded. There was only one guard by the door. Poor guy. I felt bad about knocking him out, but I had to. Now for that door. It was locked with a coded lock. No problem. I pulled an electronic decoder from my utility belt and wired it to the lock. In less than ten seconds, I was in.

The hall was dark and quiet. Thank God for night-vision goggles. My first priority was to make sure that the delegates were safe. Then I was going after the League and my children. Now where was everyone?

"If I was a crazy militant, where would I hold my hostages?" I asked myself. "Of course. The basement."

The closer I got to the basement, the more militants I had to avoid. Most of them were just kids, no more than eighteen. I would lay odds that their parents had poisoned their brains against metahumans. These kids should be in school studying and trying to figure out how to cover up a hickey, not wearing camo and carrying guns.

"Over here!" one of them shouted. "Intruders!"

Down the hall, I could see my teammates. They took a fighting stance and began kicking some ass. Those poor misguided kids did not stand a chance. From a darkened portion of the hall, I watched as my teammates knocked out the militants. As soon as the last of the baddies were taken down, my teammates turned their backs. Two more guards passed me in the hall and took aim at the team. I somersaulted between the guards and took them out with a split kick, just like Batman showed me.

"What did I say about not making me save you?" I asked as I perched myself on the balls of my feet.

"Amelia, what are you doing here?" Q asked. "We thought you were going to stay and monitor things from the Bat-cave."

"Q, my family is being held hostage. Did you honestly think I am going to sit around and do nothing?"

"So what's the plan?" Warhawk asked.

"I would think our first task is to ascertain where the hostages are being kept," Green Lantern suggested.

"Agreed. I think that we should start in the basement and work our way up," I said.

The others nodded as we split into teams to cover more ground. I ended up with Batman and Warhawk. They were not bad kids…Oh God! I am referring to them as kids when they are both less than ten years younger than me. They are old enough to be my brothers for crying out loud and I calling them kids! But technically they have not been born yet. Ugh! I hate time paradoxes!

We came to a door that was heavily guarded. There were at least five guards with automatic weapons posted near the door. This had to be where either the delegates were or League members were being held.

"Five to three," I muttered. "I like those odds. Okay boys, we hit 'em hard and fast. Don't kill them. Just knock them out, 'kay?"

Batman gave me a thumbs up and Warhawk nodded. In the blink of an eye they were airborne and I was running as fast as my legs would carry me. It was matter of moments to take out the guards. They had not been expecting an attack, so we were able to remove our obstacle without a shot being fired.

While Warhawk and I tied up the guards, Batman used a mini computer in his gauntlet to hack the coded lock. As soon as the door opened, I peeked inside. All the U.N. delegates and the heroes without special powers were there.

"It's about time," Green Arrow said.

"Well excuse me," I replied taking off my helmet. "I didn't realize that we were working on Green Arrow time."

Alfred appeared in the doorway, he had Charlie in his arms. My face lit up as took Charlie into my arms.

"Oh Charlie, Charlie. Thank God you're all right," I cried smothering him with kisses.

"Mama," Charlie said with a smile as his chubby little hands grabbed fistfuls of my hair.

"Amelia," Q's voice said over the com. "We've found the rest of the League."

I adjusted Charlie in my grip and pried my hair loose so that I could patch in. "Roger that. Rendezvous at my coordinates."

A few minutes later we were all gathered. I searched for the faces of my other children, but they were nowhere to be seen. Mike must have separated them from the others. All I could do was pray that they were safe and come up with a game plan.

"We need to get the delegates to safety," I said balancing Charlie on my hip. "There are squads of military personnel outside the building. We can leave the delegates in their hands while we deal with Humanity's Legion."

"Agreed," Green Arrow said. "Then we can surround the Assembly Chambers and free the Big Seven."

I nodded. "Robin. You and the Titans escort the delegates out to the military."

"But we want to fight," Robin protested. "Amelia we were trained to fight."

I put my hand on the teen hero's shoulder. "Believe me Robin, you'll see some action. As soon as the delegates are safe, rendezvous with us at the Assembly Chambers."

Robin's face brightened and he nodded. I gave Charlie to Bart so that he would be safe. Charlie waved at me. "Bye-bye," he said as Bart sped away.

I waved back, hoping I would see him again. "Let's go," I said.

* * *

With Batman, Green Arrow, and The Atom, I made my way to the interpreter's booth. There was a whole bunch of sound equipment, which was a key ingredient in my recipe for psychological warfare, field-tested on none other than Bruce "The Batman" Wayne. Let us just say that he had it coming and it was quite effective. With a little rewiring and a little hacking, I was able to access the U.N. communication system.

From my position in the booth, I could see Mike at the podium addressing his followers. Green Arrow flipped a switch so that we could listen in.

"Today loyal friends, we have achieved a great victory. Today we have captured the greatest threat to our cause: The Justice League and their allies."

Loud cheering followed. I shook my head. "He's not going to start monologing is he?" I asked Green Arrow.

"Wait for it," Green Arrow replied.

"This is the first major step in our quest to cleansing the world of all metahumans…"

"Yep he's definitely monologing," Green Arrow said.

"…Our next step is eliminate the greatest of all the metahumans. Behold: The Original Seven."

He pulled a cord and revealed the Big Seven. They all had cerebral dampeners on their heads to keep them from using their powers.

I looked at Batman, Green Arrow, and Atom. They all clenched their teeth and narrowed eyes. I had a bad feeling about the looks on their faces. They were royally pissed off. So was I, but we needed a plan. We could not just go down there and kick ass. Well we could, but a plan is always a good thing. Before I could stop them, they charged out of the booth and into the Assembly Chambers. My hand flew to my face as a migraine was coming on.

"Men," I said quietly to myself. "Why is it they never stop long enough to make a plan?"

I guess it was not just men that did not make plans before acting, causing the rest of the heroes came smashing in the chambers. The militants opened fired. Stray shots came into the booth, which caused me to duck and cover. I looked through the broken window. Mike was calm. He pulled out a remote and pushed a big red button. In the movies it was never a good sign when the villain pushed a big red button. Well this villain pushed a big red button and what happened next was definitely not good.

The Big Seven's cerebral dampeners switched off. Their eyes were wide and blank. These were not the heroes I remembered. Mike had them under his telepathic control. In short: they were zombies and these League zombies began kicking the asses of their comrades.

"And these is why we come up with plans boys and girls," I said turning to the computer monitor.

From the U.N. computer system, I accessed the Watchtower computer system in order to activate a stasis field around the building using the elaborate satellite system to beam the signal. I quickly programmed the computer to initiate the field when I pressed a remote control with a big green button on it. With everything set up just the way I wanted it, I left the interpreter's booth, heading for the catwalks above the chamber.

You see I had a little payback in mind for Mike. Not just for endangering my children and threatening to kill my friends, but for stripping me of my identity when we were married. When I first met Mike, I was a devil-may-care free spirit who did not believe in stability in anyway whatsoever. Sure I wanted to get married and have kids someday, but I was nineteen and I had been on my own for a year. After I married Mike, he undertook the task of systematically skinning me of my personality. It began with Mike throwing out all of my Who, Queen, Eagles, and Aerosmith CDs. Soon he began to emotionally abuse me, telling me I was nothing, that I needed him to survive and when I got pregnant, he physically abused me and I had the scars to prove it.

I made my perch amongst the lighting fixtures and waited for the right moment. Despite the need for urgency, I would wait. Batman's greatest lesson to me was to wait for your adversary to make a slip and that was when you would strike.

"A valiant effort," Mike told the defeated heroes. "But you cannot stop us." He looked at the heroes. "Amelia is here. Search the interpreter's booth," he commanded two guards.

Let him try to find me. This just confirmed my suspicions of Mike's telepathic abilities. I waited for the guards to return from their search.

"She wasn't there, Commander," a guard reported.

"Search the rest of the building. Find her."

That was my que. I put my helmet back on and reached into my utility belt. I pulled out my big green button remote control and pressed the big green button.

"_Dude looks like a lady!"_ Aerosmith sang over the P.A. systems.

I hooked a cable to a rail and stepped into a loop at the other end, before rappelled down to the floor with _Dude (looks like a lady)_ playing in the background.

"Looking for me?" I asked as I touched the ground.


	17. Chapter 17

I shifted all my weight to one hip while Mike and his minions covered their ears in a vain attempt to block out the greatness that was Aerosmith. "What's the matter Mike? Don't like Aerosmith?"

I knew for a fact that of all the bands in all the world, Aerosmith was the one Mike hated the most, hence my selection.

"Amelia," Mike said standing up. "Somehow I knew you would comeback to me."

My eyes narrowed. "I'm not here to make nice," I replied flatly. "Where are my children?"

Mike snapped his fingers and two guards brought out the twins out. My babies were fighting to get free, but they just were not strong enough.

"Let them go Mike. They have nothing to do with this."

"They're Metas."

"They're your children, Mike. One guess who they get their powers from and it wasn't from me."

Mike's little army looked at him in disbelief. I read the same thought on all of their faces. Was it true? Was their great and fearless leader a Meta? Mike's eyes narrowed with anger that his secret was out in the open.

"Liar!" he snarled.

"Moi?" I replied with mock innocence. "Why would I lie? I wasn't the one who took out all of these heroes without lifting a finger."

"She lies!" Mike told his army, but I had planted the seed of doubt in their minds and it showed.

One of the group, a squad leader by the look of it, lowered his weapon and looked at Mike. "Commander, how did we win against the Metas without losing a man?"

The look in Mike's eyes was priceless. They went from anger to fear in the blink of an eye. "We won because we're better," he finally managed to say.

"Lex Luthor, Darkseid and Brianiac all thought they were better than Superman," I said in a taunting way. "Gorilla Grodd, Mirror Master, and Captain Cold thought they were better than Flash. The Joker, Two-Face, and Ra's Al Ghul thought they were better than Batman. And where are they now? They're in prison, which is exactly where you belong."

The army knew I was right. They had all seen the same new reports and articles in the papers I had. They slowly lowered their weapons. Mike had clearly broken into a sweat as he brought a hand across his brow. I had turned all of them against him, and he had to think fast.

He suddenly reached out and grabbed a gun from one of his minions, aiming it at me. Time seemed to slow down as he pulled the trigger. I flinched expecting the impact of the bullet, but it never came. I opened my eyes and found the bullet floating just in front of me.

"Heather?" I whispered and looked my daughter.

She was concentrating on the bullet, using her mind to stop it. She must of concentrated to hard, because the bullet disintegrated into a fine powder. The guards holding my children temporarily let go of them to shield their eyes from the powder. The twins took the opportunity and with a jump they were in the air. They flew over and into my arms. Heather was in tears.

"I'm sorry Mommy," she sobbed. "I know I'm not supposed to use my powers without permission, but I couldn't let that man hurt you."

I brushed away her tears. "It's okay sweetie. I'm very proud of you, of both of you."

"Isn't that sweet?" Mike taunted. He aimed the gun again.

Heather and Timmy jumped out of my arms and faced their father. Their eyes were narrowed and their faces were grim. They must have been copying Bruce behind his back.

"You leave our mommy alone," Timmy said his eyes focusing on the gun in Mike's hand.

Mike yelped as he dropped the gun. It was growing red-hot and it melted becoming useless to anyone. Heather used her telekinesis to bend the nozzles of all the other guns. The army threw down their damaged weapons and pulled out knives, Billy clubs, and blackjacks. They had been reduced to common street thugs, which is where I strongly suspect Mike recruited them. No matter. The playing field was now level. Or so I thought.

With a growl of anger, Mike looked at me. An invisible force knocked me off my feet and into a wall. Every bone in my body ached as I got back on my feet. Looking up, I saw that Mike had incapacitated his army with his powers. I went to a nearby guard and turned him over. His pupils were fixed and dilated. The body was twisted with pain, but he did not move. I looked at Mike with sharp eyes.

"What did you do?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"They were a liability, just like you." His eyes focused again. Suddenly I was lifted off my feet as someone grabbed the back of my bike jacket. Glancing up, I found that Shayera had flown up behind me and taken me for a ride. I had forgotten that even though Mike could not get inside my head, he was still in the heads of the Big Seven.

I reached into my utility belt and grabbed a cortical dampener. I swung my body back and forth, using the momentum to vault myself onto Shayera's back. We must have resembled something out of a rodeo, as Shayera bucked trying to shake me off. I held on tighter and managed to secure the dampener to the base of her neck, just behind her ear. She stopped struggling and blinked her eyes.

"Amelia, what's going on?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No time to explain. I need you to get the twins out of here and get the Titans in here."

"The Titans?"

"Shayera, please just trust me and hurry. The odds are slightly out of my favor on this one."

Shayera nodded understanding and swooped down grabbing the twins, while I jumped off. Until the cavalry arrived, I was on my own. Hopefully I would stay alive long enough.

As Shayera flew away with my children, I turned and saw J'onn standing a short distance from me. I stood up straight and waited. I felt like I was in an old spaghetti western with bad dialogue and even worse acting, with notable exceptions of course. I half expected gunslinger music to start playing. Slowly I reached for the canteen of paraffin on my belt. As much as I hated it, I was going to take advantage of J'onn's only weakness: fire.

Suddenly J'onn lunged forward. I opened the canteen quickly. "Sorry J'onn," I said before taking a swig. I grabbed the lighter I carried and when he was within reach, I blew a large fireball at him.

J'onn fell to ground screaming in pain as the fire burned him. I felt tears come to my eyes as I attached the cortical dampener to an unburned part of J'onn's neck. "I am so sorry J'onn," I said again. I found a fire extinguisher nearby and used it to cool him off and put out the flames that had sparked around us. I grabbed the fire blanket that had been with the extinguisher and tucked it around J'onn. He looked up at me.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"Just rest," I replied. "We'll have you as right as rain soon."

"Amelia, I…LOOK OUT!" He weakly pointed over my shoulder.

Before I could turn to see what was happening, someone rushed by and lifted me off my feet again. Soon the room was spinning away too fast for comfort. Looking down I saw streaks of red and yellow moving quickly below me. Wally.

He had picked me up and thrown me over his shoulder. _How did he live at this speed?_ I wondered as I tried to formulate a plan. He was running way too fast. If ran any faster, then we would break through the barrier and be in the Speed Force. I knew that I would not survive the journey and Wally probably would not be able to get back. I had to do something. Then an idea hit me. What were the chances that Wally was vulnerable behind the knees just like the rest of us?

I found a collapsible nightstick that Bruce had put into my utility belt when he had given it to me. Using it, I struck Wally behind the left knee. Down he went and me with him. He landed on top of me and groaned in pain. I seized the opportunity and attached the dampener. His eyes widened and he shook his head.

"Who? What? Where?" he asked quickly. He shook his head again. "Amelia? Honey what are you doing here?"

"Somebody had to save the world," I replied as he got off of me. "Sorry about your knee."

Wally looked down at his knee. He smiled. "Don't worry about it. You did what you had to do. It'll be okay in a few minutes."

I could not help but smiling. At least he was back to his old self. "Three down and four to go," I said getting to my feet wondering who was next. I handed Wally some cortical dampeners. "If you end up fighting one of the others, try to get this on them."

Wally got to his feet and nodded. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up on edge. Someone was nearby and I was getting some seriously bad vibes. I quickly turned my head just as Batman came out of the shadows. He kicked me right into a wall. I felt the breath getting knocked out of me as I hit the wall. Wally did not even have time to try and help me as Green Lantern attacked him.

Batman did not even give me a chance to get back on my feet. Not like Bruce at all. Normally he would have stood in the shadows and waited for the attack to come to him. Instead Batman was relentless with his punches.

"_Block,"_ a voice said inside me. It sounded a lot like Bruce when he was in Bat-mode. But it was good advice. I raised my arm and block a punch just like Bruce had taught me. This gave me a chance to landed a punch or two of my own.

I managed to get free of Bruce having me backed into a wall. Now I could release my inner ninja and fight back. Unfortunately for every punch or kick I landed, Bruce returned twice over. But I kept fighting. I had to get the dampener on him somehow. I just had to wait for an opening.

An opening came when I kicked at Bruce and hit him in the stomach, causing him to stumble back. I catapulted myself over and behind. Before he could turn around, I planted the dampener on him. I felt my knees weaken underneath me. I was getting tired. In our sparring sessions, Bruce had been pulling his punches, but he had not been holding back in this last bout. Now I was exhausted and panting heavily. The floor suddenly came up under me and I was grateful. I needed to rest and regain my breath.

A gloved hand reached down to me. I stared up at it and followed it up until I looked Bruce in the eye. I smiled and took his hand.

"You're kicks are getting better," he said helping me to my feet.

"Gee thanks," I replied rotating my shoulder.

"You okay?"

"I feel like a walking bruise," I said with a groan. "But otherwise I'm okay."

Wally and John joined us, John sporting a black eye. "Anybody care to explain to me what is going on?" John asked.

"Mind control," I answered and I would not get a chance to explain further. Out of the shadows Superman and Wonder Woman appeared. Superman's eyes were glowing red and Wonder Woman was twirling her magic lasso. Red beams shot out of Superman's eye. Wally pushed me out of the way while Bruce and John rolled to avoid the beams. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Mike making a mad dash to escape.

"We've got a runner," I called over to Bruce.

"Go!" he ordered. "We'll take care of things here."

I looked at Wally and he nodded. I felt tears trying to form in my eyes. This might be the last time I would see him. I cupped his face in my hands and kissed him. Those little sparks of electricity jumped off his lips and onto mine. I would never get tired of feeling those sparks. They were warm and comforting, they were everything that Wally was.

"I love you," I said quietly breaking the kiss.

"I love you too."

"Wally if something happens…"

"Don't say it."

"If something happens, take care of the twins. They need you."

"They need you too."

The tears I was fighting trickled down my cheeks and Wally brushed them away, just like he always did. Suddenly there was a crash and I heard Shayera's voice give out her war cry. I looked to see Shayera leading the Teen Titans into the Assembly Chamber. Superman and Wonder Woman turned to face the new threat.

"Go," Wally said. "Go while they're distracted."

"Get the wounded out of here once Superman and Diana are back to normal."

"Got it. Now go."

I nodded and gave him a quick kiss before pulling out of his grip and running towards the corridor Mike had escaped into.

* * *

After several flights of stairs, I found myself on the roof of the U.N. building. As I came onto it, I kept my wits about me. Even though there was really no place for Mike to hide for long, he was a crafty devil all the same. The wind whipped around me as I carefully walked around the roof. Mike was nowhere.

He could not have escaped via helicopter of hang glider. I would have seen or heard something. All I saw was the New York skyline set against the night sky. Could Mike have jumped? Against my better judgment, I cautiously stepped closer to the edge and looked over.

Suddenly, I caught a whiff of cologne. Whatever it was, it was strong, expensive, and probably French. I turned around and as I did, Mike tackled me and tried to push me over. It took all of my strength to keep him from falling. Mike's hands wrapped around my neck, cutting off my air. I got my arms under Mike's and thrust upwards. Mike fell backward and I pinned him to the roof.

"This is all your fault," he cried out kicking me off of him. "I gave you everything! You lived like a queen and you could have been my queen in the new world order!"

"Thanks but I'll pass. Tiaras aren't my style," I retorted somersaulting out of the way of a downward kick.

"The Metas mean to destroy us all!"

From the wide-eyed look on his face, I could tell that Mike had lost it. Now he was a raving lunatic. The wind tousled his hair giving him that wild look.

"And what happens when you've killed all the Metas on this planet?" I asked continuing to block his attacks. I did not want to fight him. For all the trouble he had caused me, Mike was sick and need help. What he needed was counseling and medication, not a boot to the head.

"Then the world would be safe."

"But that would leave one Meta left: you."

Mike stopped fighting and looked at me. Somehow my word had gotten through to him. His face was calm and collected. Not a good sign.

"You're right," he said dusting off his clothes and turning away. He walked away from me and toward the ledge.

"Mike. Mike what are you doing?"

He did not answer. He just kept walking.

"Mike don't do it. There's another way."

"No there isn't."

"I can get you a good doctor Mike…"

"What's the point?" he asked stepping onto the ledge. The wind wrapped around him. "I would still be a Meta.

He took a step and fell.

"Shit," I hissed running as fast as I could and dove off the edge after him.

Tucking my arms close to my body, I shot down fast and hard. Drawing closer to a falling Mike, I reached out and wrapped my arm around Mike's waist. I drew my grapple gun and fired, hoping and praying that it would catch onto something. It caught on an open window and the line went taut.

Mike struggled to get free of my grasp, but I held tight. Unfortunately the grappling hook was not as secure as I would like. Mike's struggles were loosening the grip of the hook on the windowsill.

"Let me go!" he shouted at me.

"No. I'm not going to let you throw your life away."

The teeth of the hook slid against the sill causing the line to lower about a foot or two as Mike continued to struggle.

"Mike stop fight or we'll both die."

"Then we die."

Mike reached up and bit down hard on the hand that held the grapple gun. I yelped and let go of my grapple gun.

In all the popular culture, when a character was about to die, they would see a light coming towards them. I did not see any light. I felt air blow pass me as I fell. Mike had gotten free of my grip and was falling faster than me. I closed my eyes and thought of my loved ones. They were safe. That was all I could ask for.

A force pushed up against me trying to slow me down. It had to be Heather, using her power. But she was not strong enough to stop my fall. Still she tried. The force around me collapsed. Heather had used up her strength and I fell speedily again. I clutched the locket around my neck.

"Good-bye," I whispered...

* * *

_Hold onto your hats sports fans. This story is not over yet!_

_Summer Skye_


	18. Chapter 18

_I thought that I would go with a different point of view for this chapter. I hope I got it right._

_Summer Skye_

* * *

Wally's POV

Superman groaned as I put the cortical dampener on him. Batman was doing the same for Diana.

"Welcome back," I said giving the Man of Steel a hand up.

"Thanks. What happened? My head feels like its been in a vice grip."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're invulnerable. You've no idea what that feels like."

"It was a figure of speech."

"Whatever. Come on, we've got wounded."

He nodded grimly and began to help our colleagues to their feet. I looked over at Bats who was trying to patch into the com. By the look on his face he was not having much luck.

"Has anyone heard from Amelia?" he asked.

I looked to the League. Everyone was shaking his or her heads. "I haven't heard from her since she went after Mike," I said. Batman's question left me worried. It was not like Amelia to not check in, even if she was in the middle of a fight. "Why?" I dared myself to ask.

"She's has the Watchtower on lockdown. I need her access code and voice print."

Or at least that was what he wanted everyone to believe. I knew for a fact that his code overrode Amelia's. He was worried. I was worried. Where was Amelia?

Superman's head suddenly turned as he helped Supergirl to her feet. "Did you hear that?" he asked no one in particular.

"Hear what?" John asked.

"The people outside," Supergirl replied. "They're screaming."

Batman turned to me. "Flash…"

"I'm on it," I said knowing exactly what he wanted. Who else could get out there, find out what was going on, and be back in a flash.

When I got outside, people were crowded in the round about outside the main entrance of the U.N. building. Everyone was looking up at the roof. Out of curiosity, I looked up and saw to figures falling from the roof. Both of them I recognized. One was Amelia's ex-husband Mike, the other was…

"Amelia!"

Without an nanoseconds hesitation, I ran in a circle to create a whirlwind underneath the falling figures to slow them down. I chanced a glance up to see where they were. Amelia was falling right in the center of my cyclone, while Mike had been in the center, but he pushed himself out of the cyclone. Coming to a stop, I caught Amelia in my arms.

I was about to put her down and go after Mike, when Jay came speeding by and created his own cyclone. Mike's fall came to a slow, before he to a halt, hitting the ground with a definite smack. Jay grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up.

"Not bad for an old timer," he said with a smirk.

"Ah, come on," I replied setting Amelia down. "You wrote the book on making cyclones." I looked at Amelia, wrapping my arms around her. "Now young lady, I thought we agreed that I was going to be the superhero work."

She smiled her green eyes twinkling. "Trust me. After this mission, you can have it. I just want to go back to my shop and make my gadgets."

"MOMMY!"

We turned to see Heather and Timmy running toward us. Amelia knelt down and scooped her children into her arms, smothering them with kisses. Standing up, she balanced a twin on each hip with a practiced ease. I took Heather from Amelia with a smile. Timmy reached out to me, not wanting to miss out on any attention from me. I could not blame him. After all I was his dad now. I took him into my arms.

"Can we go home now?" Timmy asked.

I smiled. "Sure, we can go home. What do you say Amelia? Amelia?"

The smile had dropped from Amelia's face. She was looking over my shoulder with wide eyes. The next thing I knew, I was being shoved aside with the twins still in my arms. Sitting up, I turned to see why Amelia had pushed me down.

Everything seemed to slow to a crawl as I turned to Amelia. A bang pierced through the air and Amelia's body jerked as a bullet went into her shoulder and exited out her back. Before I could blink an eye, two more shots rand out and two more bullets entered and exited her body, this time through her abdomen and her leg. Amelia fell backwards as a fourth shot rang out.

I leapt up, depositing the twins safely on the ground, and catching Amelia before she hit the ground. Her clothes were soaked with blood already. I could only see three on her body, but I had heard four shots. Turning toward the direction of the shots, I saw Mike lying on the ground, with half of his head missing, a handgun resting next to him. Somehow he must have gotten free of Jay's grip and fired the gun at Amelia. Then I realized that he was not aiming at Amelia, but at the twins and me. Amelia had saved us.

I cupped her face in my hand as she struggled to breathe. "Amelia," I whispered. She looked up at me, pain emanating from them. "Hang on, honey. Just hang on."

"I…don't…know…if…I…can." She voice was halting as blood poured out of her wounds.

"What happened?"

I looked up and found Batman knelt next to me. He took off his cape and began to wrap it around Amelia's body to stop the bleeding. I helped him by turning Amelia over.

"Mike shot her," I explained as I held Amelia. She gasped in pain as Batman tightened his cape around her. "I think he was trying to shoot the twins and me. Amelia…" I could not finish. But Batman guessed what I was trying to say, because he put his hand on my shoulder. "He turned the gun on himself when Amelia fell."

Batman knotted the cape and let me cradle Amelia in my arms. "Get her to a hospital," he ordered.

"But the twins…"

"Don't worry about them. We'll meet you there. Just get Amelia some help."

I nodded and lifted her up. She groaned before passing out from blood loss. My heart was in my boots. I could not let her die. I had lost Linda without being able to help her. I could not lose Amelia, not without a fight. Adjusting my grip so that she would be comfortable, I sped off to the nearest hospital.

* * *

Less than a second later, I reached a hospital near the U.N. building. The emergency room doctors sprung into action as I put Amelia on a gurney. Before I could kiss her goodbye and tell her that she would be all right one more time, they wheeled her into an operating room. I was left in the hall with nothing to do but wait.

It was only a few minutes before the five standing members of the original seven arrived at the hospital. J'onn had been taken to the Watchtower to be treated for the burns he had sustained. Heather and Timmy were in Shayera's arms. As soon as she set them down, they ran to me crying. I picked them up and held them tight. They needed me. If anything happened to Amelia, I was all they had.

"Is Mommy going to be all right?" Timmy asked in a small voice.

Sitting down, I balanced each of them on my knee. I brushed a tear from his eye. "I don't, buddy, I just don't know."

The twins snuggled against me and cried silently. I kissed each of them on the forehead and rocked them, like I did when they were sick.

_Please don't die, Amelia._ I asked her silently. _We need you. I need you._

"As soon as she's stable, we can transport her to the Watchtower," Batman said breaking my train of thought.

I looked up at Batman and nodded. It was for the best for Amelia to recover in the Watchtower. We could all be there with her and a bed would be free for the next patient in the emergency room. But until then, we had to wait. It was all we could do. Wait.

It was hours before a doctor came out to talk to us. His blue scrubs were covered with blood. He adjusted his glasses and looked at the chart in his hand.

"Are you all here with Amelia Jones?" he asked.

We nodded. I took a step forward, worried out of my mind. "How is she?"

"She's stable now, but she's still up for grabs. There are some things that you should know."

"What?"

"The first bullet passed through her right shoulder. Clean through. No damage to any major arteries."

I sighed with relief. At least it did not hit her heart.

"The second bullet, however, exited close to her spine. If she is jostled in anyway at this stage, she could lose her ability to walk." He adjusted his glasses again. "The third bullet hit the femoral artery in her left leg. We got the bleed under control, for now."

"What do you mean for now?" Shayera asked confused. Even though she had been on Earth for a number of years, Shayera did not know everything about humans.

"It means that if we don't watch it carefully, it could start bleeding again and Amelia could die from blood loss," I explained solemnly, not wanting to believe it to be true, but I knew all too well it was.

"Is it safe to transport her to the Watchtower?" Superman asked.

The doctor nodded. "Yes, but you must be very careful."

Superman looked at me. I nodded. "We will," he said.

"Can we see her?" I asked voicing the question I knew that was on everyone's mind.

"Only one at a time. She's in recovery room six."

John came up behind me and put an arm on my shoulder. "Go kid. She'd want you to be there before any of us."

I lump formed in my throat as I fought back the tears. "Watch the kids for me?"

"Sure."

I gave him a weak smile and went to find Amelia's room.

* * *

Amelia was lying in a hospital bed. Seeing her there brought back the memories of Linda and her stay in the hospital. Why was this happening again? Why was another woman I loved lying in a bed with tubes running in and out of her? Did I not deserve to be happy and live a long and happy life with someone?

Quietly I walked to her bedside and took her bandaged hand. Despite having wore gloves, the skin on Amelia's knuckles were broken and bruised. Bruises were forming on her body from the beat down she had taken getting all of us back to normal. One of her eyes was swollen and turning black. An x-ray caught my eye. It was Amelia's. Several of her ribs were cracked and no less than six of her fingers were fractured from the punches she had thrown.

"Hey honey," I said hoping she could hear me. "It's me. Wally." I sat down next to her bed. A piece of her hair had fallen into her face. I gently brushed it away and tucked it behind her ear. "I'm sorry Amelia. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let this happen to you."

The tears I had been fighting back spilled over. I did not care if someone saw me crying. The woman I loved was dying and all I could do was watch again. If Amelia was awake, she would be telling that it was not unmanly to cry. Hell she might be right there crying with me.

"Flash."

I turned to see Bats behind me. In the early days of her career with the League, Amelia once suggested that we put a bell or something on him so that he could not sneak up on people. Despite being sorely tempted to do so, I rejected the notion. Not because Bats would inflict a fate worse than death upon me, but because he was Batman and you did not do that to Batman. His face was solemn, but after years of working with him, I could see that he was hurt at seeing Amelia like this.

"We're ready to transport her," he said.

"I'd like to stay with her."

He nodded and put his hand to his ear. "Watchtower. Three to transport."

The next thing I knew, we were in the Watchtower sick bay. Amelia lay of a bio-bed. The tubes had vanished. They were still at the hospital. Batman moved to insert the IV's that would keep Amelia alive until her body had healed enough. I was about to ask where J'onn was, but I stopped and looked over. J'onn was in the next bed, swathed in bandages.

"I'll stay with her for awhile," Batman said taking off his cowl. "If you want to go change and get a bite to eat."

A part of me did not want to leave Amelia, but another part knew Batman was right. I needed to change out of my suit and eat something. All of this running around had worked up my appetite. Plus I needed to check on the kids. They were probably worried about Amelia and I needed to be with them.

"Let me know if there's any change."

"Of course."

* * *

I felt good to get out of the spandex. While it looked good in the field, it was a son of a bitch to get on and off. It clung to my skin and like to bunch in the most uncomfortable places. Amelia had been working on designing new fabric to make the League's suits out of, but she had been in the preliminary stages. Nothing felt like a favorite pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

I found the twins in their bedroom fast asleep when I got to the quarters that Amelia and I shared. Charlie was in his crib in the master bedroom. Iris, Jay and Bart were sitting on the couch together, their faces pale with worry.

"How is she?" Iris asked.

"She's stable, but there is a chance that she might not make it."

As I changed my clothes, I explained to them the extent of Amelia's injuries. The only sound I heard from them was Iris giving a little cry of dismay. When I finished, they were very quiet, almost as if they were coming to terms with the possibility that Amelia could die.

"If anyone could survive this, Amelia could," Jay said after a while. "She's a fighter."

I nodded gravely as I reached into my drawer, I pulled out a sweater and a little black box came tumbling out. Stooping, I picked it and opened it. It was the diamond ring I had bought for Amelia last month. The idea that I would spend the rest of my life with Amelia had dawned on me the day I met her. As I got to know her, the more in love I fell with her and her kids. But I was determined to wait on asking her to marry me. I had to make sure that she would be a good mother to Charlie and that everyone in the Flash family would like her. Any worries I had were unfounded. She was a mother to anyone who needed a mother, even me sometimes.

"Please don't die," I whispered aloud. I closed the box and put it in my pocket.

Leaving the children under Jay and Iris' watchful eyes, I went to the mess hall to get some food. Many of the people I met in the corridors asked about Amelia. I gave them all the same answer: it was too soon to tell. Those who knew Amelia better said that they would visit her when she was a little bit better.

In the mess hall, I found Dinah and Ollie sitting together nursing cups of coffee. They were dressed in jeans and t-shirts. In fact, all the other heroes I had seen on my way to the mess hall were dressed in their civvies. After loading up a tray of food, I went and sat next to them.

"Hey kid," Ollie said. "How are you holding up?" Dinah and Ollie had been there with me when Linda had gotten sick and something told me that they would bet there for me again.

"As well as can be expected," I replied. I picked up a fork and began to push my mash potatoes into a mountain. "I can't believe that I have to go through this again."

Dinah reached across the table and patted my hand. "I know. But if Amelia were awake, she would not let you brood about it."

"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade," Shayera said as she sat next to me. "That's what she said to me when I met her for the first time and she was right. Dwelling on things won't get them fixed." She took a sip of coffee. "Now finish eating and go sit with her. It might help her heal faster, knowing that you're there."

I nodded and began to shovel food into my mouth.

* * *

When I got back to Amelia's side, Batman was still there. He was sitting in chair, his fingers intertwined in front of his face. The brooding pose, I called. Cautiously I pulled up a chair next to him, but closer to Amelia.

"Any change?" I asked taking her hand.

He shook his head. "I don't expect there to be any change for at least a day or so. She's been through a hell of a time."

Nodding my head, I looked at Amelia. She seemed to be sleeping peacefully, probably the best sleep she has had for a long while. At least her breathing was regular and steady, along with her heartbeat. I dug in my pocket and pulled out the ring box. I passed it over to Batman.

"Do you think she'll like it?" I asked when he opened it.

Batman looked at it for a moment. "Yes," he said. He closed it and gave it back to me. "When do you plan to propose?"

"I don't know. I had thought to do it at Thanksgiving, but I may have to wait. Do you think she'll say yes?"

"I don't doubt it. I think she might have been waiting for you to ask her."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been watching Amelia's behavior since you and she started living together. She seems anxious to settle down and have a family with you, but she's been giving you the space you need. She knows that Linda's death still haunts you."

"And it always will." I looked at Amelia. "But at least I won't have to face it alone." I paused an thought of the rest of the superheroes that had fought. I had been so focused on Amelia that I had forgotten to ask. "Was anyone else hurt?"

"Just bumps, bruises, cuts and scraps. A few broken bones, but nothing that won't mend in a few months. It would have been much worse, if Amelia hadn't stepped in."

"And if she hadn't, she wouldn't be in this condition!" I snapped.

"Stop fussing," a weak voice said.

Batman and I turned to see Amelia's eyes were open. Sleep was written all over her face, but she was awake. She had fixed her green eyes on me and smiled.

My heart leapt out of my chest as I kissed her hand happily. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been run over by a steamroller." She frowned as she realized something was wrong. "Why can't I feel my legs?"

I bit my lip, trying to find away to dance around it, but Amelia would not have let me. "Amelia, one of the bullets came awful close to your spine. The doctor said that there is a chance you could lose the ability to walk, but the odds are in favor of you being able to walk again."

She looked up at the ceiling and a tear trickled down the side of her face. She blinked it away and turned back to us. "I guess this means no dancing anytime soon."

I smiled. Leave it to Amelia to make lemonade out the lemons life handed her. "I guess not." She yawned. "Why don't you go back to sleep? I'll be here when you wake up."

She did not protest in the slightest, but simple closed her eyes. "I love you," she whispered as she drifted back to sleep.

I smoothed her hair and kissed her temple. "I love you too."


	19. Epilogue

Amelia's POV

"…I don't think it's a good idea."

I turned over on my side as I tried to go back to sleep. Damn Clark for waking me up.

"And it would better for her if she were allowed to go home and rest," Wally said from outside the sickbay doors. _Note to self: install soundproofing on all doors in the Watchtower and Metrotower._

"Wally you've seen the circus on your front lawn. It won't do Amelia any good to get caught up in the middle of it."

I sat up thoroughly annoyed. I had been listening to Wally and Clark arguing on and off all day. Mostly about Wally wanting to take me back home to Keystone to continue my recovery. Clark thought it was a bad idea, because the media had figured out where I lived and an army of reporters was camped on our lawn. Well I had had enough. I threw aside the blankets and got out of bed. I marched to the door and braced myself against the frame to keep me from venting my annoyance on Wally and Clark.

"Since when…" Wally began.

"Enough!" I cried. Both Wally and Clark stopped and stared at me in amazement. "I have had it up to here with this bickering. It's not up to either you whether I go or stay. That decision is up to one person: me. Now having settled that dispute, kindly leave so I can go back to sleep."

Bruce, Diana, Shayera, and John were rounding the corner as I was turning to go back to my bed. They stopped dead in their tracks, wide-eyed.

"What are you all staring at?" I asked sharply. I knew that I was being a bitch, but I had every reason to be one just then. I had just got the crap beaten out of me not more than two weeks ago and I was still smarting from it.

"Amelia…" John started, but he was so flabbergasted about something he could not complete his sentence.

"You're standing," Shayera finished with equal amazement.

I looked down at my feet and found I was indeed standing. For a moment I wondered why this amazed my friends, then I remembered that one of the bullets had left be temporarily paralyzed.

"This isn't possible," I whispered, my knees wanting to buckled underneath me. "There is no way this side of reality that I should be walking after what I've been through."

Wally came forward and put his arms around me. I let him take my full weight as my knees finally gave way. "What the hell is going on?" Wally demanded from our friends.

"J'onn, Ray. We need you here now," Bruce said patching into the comm and calling the only two who might have some answers. "Wally. Get back her back to bed."

There was no sense in arguing with Bruce when he was in Bat-mode. Wally swept me off my feet and carried me into sickbay. By this time I was shaking.

"Wally, I'm scared."

He laid me on my bed and snuggled next to me. "I am too," he whispered kissing my hair. "But we'll work through it, together."

I nodded as J'onn and Ray came running into the sickbay. After a brief explanation of what happened, J'onn and Ray began running a buffet of tests on me. First it was blood and tissue samples, then x-rays and MRIs. The whole time, Wally held my hand. What ever was wrong with me, I had ever confidence that J'onn and Ray would find the answer.

Ray stepped away from his microscope and rubbed his eyes. "I can't see anything abnormal in her system."

J'onn frowned. "Maybe we should run the tests again. We could have had a contaminated sample."

"Or I could go into her body and see what's going on first hand," Ray suggested. "I could probably tell you a lot more than any scan." He turned to me. "What do you say Amelia?"

"Just as long as it doesn't end up on the Discovery Channel," I said. Ray chuckled and threw me a snappy salute.

* * *

A few minutes later, Ray was geared up with one of the respirators the League used for undersea missions and a camcorder so that we could see what he saw. He shrank to a microscopic size and jumped into a syringe along with a vitamin booster. J'onn stuck the needle into my arm and pushed down on the piston, shooting Ray into my blood stream. As soon as he was in me, Ray uploaded the video feed from the camcorder. 

"Atom, can you hear me?" J'onn asked.

"Loud and clear. It's a mad house in here. I think the best approach is for me to ride her circulatory system."

"I agree. Keep in touch."

"So what now?" I asked hugging a pillow close to my body. Something was rumbling in my stomach and giving me cramps.

"We wait," J'onn answered.

And so we waited. All day in fact. Ray said he wanted to be thorough. So he inspected every inch of my body from my brain to my little toe. And he could not find a thing.

"Nothing, absolutely nothing," Ray said over the com-system. By this time J'onn had to go on monitor duty and Bruce had come to take his place in sickbay. Wally had stayed with me all day having taken himself off the active roster to take care of our family and me.

"You looked everywhere," Bruce prompted.

"Everywhere, except…"

"Except…"

"Her reproductive organs. I didn't think that any there could cause such extraordinary healing."

"Check it anyway."

"Roger."

I watched the screen intently as Ray swam to my ovaries and uterus. I had to side with Ray on this one. My periods were regular and I would have known if I was pregnant again. All my gynecological exams were normal and my diet had not changed at all. I thought long and hard about this as Ray examined my ovaries, before swimming down my fallopian tubes to my uterus.

Then I saw it. A little speck along the uterine wall. Ray saw it too, because he swam closer and examined it. It looked like an alien with a big head and little appendages.

"What is it?" Wally asked.

"I think it's an embryo," Ray said. "Amelia's pregnant."

I stared at the screen wide-eyed. "I'm pregnant? Why didn't you catch this during all those tests?"

"We didn't think that you being pregnant had anything to do with it."

"But she's pregnant with Wally's baby," Bruce said.

"What does that have to do with it?" I asked.

"Wally's hyper-accelerated metabolism comes with a hyper-accelerated immune system. It could be that the baby inherited those traits from it's father and passed them along to you through the umbilical cord."

"Come again?" I was very confused.

"He means that I passed along some of my abilities to the baby," Wally explained. "And the baby in turn has accelerated your body's response to illness or injury. If it's any consolation, Linda went through the same thing when she was pregnant with Charlie."

"I guess that makes me feel a little better."

"How far along is she?" Wally asked. By this time he had put a hand on my belly, like I used to when I was pregnant with the twins.

"I'd say about four weeks," Ray said, "and that's an educated guess."

"I think that it's time to get out of there Ray," Bruce said.

"On my way."

Moments later Ray had exited my body. Assuming his normal height and weight, he and Bruce left us alone. This was something that Wally and I needed to talk about.

"A baby," Wally said with wonder in his voice. "I didn't think that we'd being having a baby so soon."

"Neither did I. I guess this means that we're going to need a bigger house."

"Or at least throw up a new addition for our new addition. Amelia, honey. I've been doing some thinking lately." He took his hands from my belly and sat so that we were face to face. He took my hands and held them. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled a black velvet box. He opened it and set against the velvet was a diamond solitaire ring. "And I was wondering if you would let me be your hero?"

Oh my God! I was getting proposed to. Leave it to Wally not to just come out and ask me to marry him. My heart was racing and tears were welling up in my eyes. I could not speak. My voice had temporarily left me due to the lump in my throat. I nodded my head enthusiastically. Wally picked up on my acceptance and slid the ring on my finger. He touched my cheek as tears rolled over my eyes.

"Why are you crying?" he asked.

"I'm just so happy. We're having a baby. We're getting married. I haven't been this happy since the day the twins were born." I bit my lip. "How do you feel about short engagements?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I don't want to wait. Not with all that's happened lately and now we have a baby on the way. How do you feel about a Christmas wedding?"

"I'm all for it. What's the plan?"

"Have our wedding up here at the Watchtower at the Christmas party. I volunteered to plan it, since we all thought that I was going to laid up in defiantly. Make it a semi-formal occasion."

"I like it. It would sure save us a headache and a half. It would keep everyone from trying to plan our wedding for us."

"Especially if we don't tell anyone."

"Precisely."

* * *

We did eventually tell two people outside of our family: J'onn and Bruce. We wanted J'onn to perform the ceremony for us and Bruce, well, let us just say it took some serious puppy dogs eyes to get him to agree to come. He insisted on buying me a wedding dress, which meant I had to go dress shopping again. This time, however, I had a pretty good idea for my dress. 

I sat in front of my vanity on Christmas Eve getting ready for the party and my wedding. Heather was sitting next to me on the vanity bench. Wally and I had decided to let the kids stay up late so that they could be at the ceremony. She was wearing a holly green party dress that we had bought the day I had gotten my dress.

"Hey there are my two best girls," Wally said coming into the bedroom. He kissed to top of Heather's head and my cheek. "Ready to go."

"Just help but this necklace on," I said.

Quick as a flash, Wally clasped my necklace around my neck. Dangling on the end of the chain was Wally's wedding band for tonight. I took a finally check in the mirror. My dress was a snow white one with a flared skirt and long sleeves. The hem of the skirt came half way down my calf and a pair of strappy heels completed the ensemble.

"You know, if I was a blond and this dress was a halter top, I'd look like Marilyn Monroe."

"You are so much hotter than Marilyn Monroe," Wally whispered in my ear.

"Flatterer. Come on. We better get to the party."

He kissed my cheek and picked Heather up, taking her into the living room where the rest of the Flash family was waiting. I straightened Bart's tie and slicked back Timmy's hair before we left our quarters.

The Watchtower was full of holiday cheer when we walked into the hall. Within two seconds of us entering the party, the kids split to go and play with their friends amongst the other League children. Heather ran to join Lian, Roy's daughter, and Dr. Fate's daughter Imogene. Timmy on the other hand found Arthur Jr. known as A.J., Aquaman's son and Cerdian, Garth's son. Bart found his friends amongst the Titans and soon left us.

"That was fast," Garth said as he and Dolphin came over to us, after being abandoned by their son.

"Tell me about it. How are you Garth?" Wally said shaking his hand.

"Good. How about you two?"

Wally looked at me. "Pretty good, considering," he answered.

"Considering what?" Dolphin asked.

"You'll see," I replied slyly.

"Hey Amelia, Wally," Clark called coming over with Lois. "What's this big announcement that Wally's going to be making later?"

"That would be telling," Wally said. "You'll just have to wait."

"Well don't make us wait too long."

"Don't worry, you'll know soon enough."

A hip jazzy tune came on over the speakers and Wally swept onto the dance floor, for perhaps one of the last times we would get to do some swing dancing. The tune changed to a slow dance.

"Can we get started after this song?" I asked as we dance cheek to cheek.

"Whatever you want, honey, whatever you want."

The song ended and Wally stepped up to the platform with me right behind him.

"Can I have everyone's attention?" Wally called out. The room became quiet. "First of all I would like to thank everyone for coming. This holiday season we have a lot to be thankful for. We can be thankful that we are all happy, healthy, and safe. And we can be thankful that someone very close to all of us is able to be standing here with us to dance the night away." I smiled as Wally turned to me. "It almost one year ago, that we quite literally fell into Amelia's life. None of us knew then how much she would come to change our lives, especially mine. That is why tonight is very special night for Amelia and me. Tonight is not just the night before Christmas, tonight Amelia and I have decided to get married."

The League let out a collective gasp, which was followed by a chorus of cheers. I let out a sigh of relief. I thought for sure that our friends would be out for our blood for stealing their thunder. It was good to know that they were being supportive.

"John," Wally said. "I'm going need a best man."

"And I'm going to need a bridesmaid, Shayera."

Both happily agreed. The League parted so that there was an aisle for me to walk down. Originally I had intended to walk down it alone, but then Dick approached me.

"Permission to give away the bride," Dick said with a smile.

He had missed my first wedding. I smiled back and kissed his cheek. "Permission granted."

He took my arm and led me down the aisle at the end of which stood Wally with our children and J'onn waiting to begin the ceremony. Dick kissed my forehead at the alter and put my hand into Wally's.

"I know that you'll take care of her Wally," Dick replied. "I'm glad you two found each other."

Dick took his place in the audience as J'onn began the ceremony.

"Friends, we are gathered here today to witness the marriage of two very dear friends: Wallace West and Amelia Jones. The love these two share has shone brighter than any star from the beginning and their acceptance of each other's families has strengthened their love. It is at this point dear friends; Amelia and Wally would like to exchange vows they have written. Wally."

Wally took my hands into his. "The day I met you, I knew that there was something about you. The more that I got to know you, the more I wanted to be there for you and your kids. With you in my life, I feel complete." He pulled out my wedding band and slid it on my finger. "With this ring, I wed thee."

"Until you dropped into my life, I never thought I would find love again. Somehow I knew then that you would always be there when I needed you. You helped me through the most difficult events in my life and I want you to be with me for anything that stands in our way." I unclasped the gold chain around my neck and took Wally's wedding band off of it. I slid it onto Wally's finger. "With this ring, I do wed thee."

J'onn clasped our joined hands in his two large green ones. "Do you Wallace Rudolph West take this woman Amelia Marie Jones to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold? For better, for worse? For richer, for poorer? In sickness and in health until death do you part?"

"I do," Wally replied.

"And do you Amelia Marie Jones take this man Wallace Rudolph West to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold? For better, for worse? For richer, for poorer? In sickness and in health until death do you part?"

"I do," I replied.

"By the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Wally smiled. "I know that." Everyone chuckled and cheered as Wally and I sealed our marriage with a kiss.

Heather, Timmy and Charlie ran, or in Charlie's case toddled, over to us and through their arms around our knees. Wally scooped up the twins, while I took Charlie. "Should we tell them the rest of the good news?" I asked my new husband and the kids.

"What news?" Diana asked.

"I think now is a good time," Wally said.

"Supes. I'm going to need to tap into some leave time in August."

"Sure Amelia, but why?" Clark was very confused. I had him right where I wanted him.

"Well unless you want me to have a baby in Engineering, you better give me the time off."

"Whoa," Garth called out. "Back up. You're pregnant?"

"That's right."

"So that's what you meant by considering," Dolphin replied. "You were having morning sickness and cramps." She smiled and ran to us giving us a big hug. "I'm so happy for you both."

Wally and I smiled broadly as our friends and family gathered around us to offer their congratulations. The music soon started up and it was time to dance the night away. Bart came and stole Heather away. I laughed as my little girl danced on the toes of her new cousin. Timmy danced with Iris, while Wally spun me out onto the dance floor as_It's Been A Long Long Time_ began to play.

"Remember this song?" Wally asked.

"Hatton Corners," I answered. "The Titans Reunion."

"No matter what. This will always be my favorite song."

"Why?"

"It's our song." He kissed the back of my hand and continued to dance me into the starry night. Nothing in this world could ever dampen the happiness that I felt that Christmas Eve. I had a new life and no force in this universe was ever going to rip that apart.

* * *

In a pocket universe unseen to the human eye, a man viewed the scene of happiness in a mirror that floated above a obsidian floor. A red haired man danced with his new wife, a red haired woman dressed in white. The woman was familiar. All too familiar. 

"Marcus," he called.

A uniformed man approached the seated man. "My lord."

"Have the guards prepare to depart."

"My lord?"

"Our queen has appeared and she must be protected. Send the guards to a planet called Earth. Tell them not to make themselves too conspicuous."

"As you wish my lord."

Marcus bowed and left the chamber. The seated man looked into the mirror again. The woman wore a big smile as her husband danced her around the floor. "Very soon, my dear, you will be home and you will know the truth."

* * *

_Well friends and neighbors, that does it for Starting Over. Look for the sequel coming soon to a posting near you._

_Happy Holidays. This is Summer Skye signing off._


End file.
